Sunday Night Football: Vikings vs Cowboys Preview
The Minnesota Vikings are coming off a shutout win over the Washington Commanders ahead of tonight’s Sunday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys (-6). Given the Vikings’ strong pass defense, under 47.5 points is a pick to consider for SNF.
Vikings vs Cowboys Predictions
Odds courtesy of bet365, correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
A Favorable Matchup for J.J. McCarthy
Minnesota Vikings rookie QB J.J. McCarthy had the best game of his young career last Sunday against the Commanders. In McCarthy’s first career game without an interception, he threw three touchdown passes and completed 16 of 23 passes for 163 yards in a 31-0 win. This is another favorable matchup for McCarthy, as the Dallas Cowboys allow the most passing yards in the league (255.2 per game), along with the most passing touchdowns (2.2 per game). Dallas does manage to put pressure on opposing QBs, but its secondary is quite weak.
McCarthy’s Opportunity to Shine
Against a secondary that has gotten torched most weeks, McCarthy certainly has an opportunity to throw a couple of TD passes. He’s thrown two or more touchdown passes in three of his seven games this season. Bet on McCarthy over 1.5 passing TDs at 33/20 odds.
* Vikings vs Cowboys Prediction 1: J.J. McCarthy Over 1.5 Passing TDs
Vikings to Punish Prescott
This season, the Dallas Cowboys have faced teams with strong pass defenses infrequently. In fact, the Minnesota Vikings allow the fewest passing yards of any team the Cowboys have played this season. The Vikings allow just 172.3 passing yards per game, which ranks fourth. Over the last three games, the Vikings have held opposing QBs to just 111.7 passing yards per game. That is the best figure in the league during that time, and the last five QBs they’ve faced have all thrown for under 200 yards.
Cowboys’ QB Dak Prescott to Struggle
In George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys have two wide receivers who are big-play threats. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott has found them plenty in the last few weeks, but that’ll be more difficult tonight. The Vikings allow the second-fewest explosive pass plays in the league. The last time Prescott went up against a top-10 defense in opponent passing yards was in Week 8 against the Denver Broncos. He tied a season low in that game, with 188 passing yards. Take Prescott under 264.5 passing yards on SNF.
* Vikings vs Cowboys Prediction 2: Dak Prescott Under 264.5 Passing Yards
Cowboys’ Offense Can be Contained
The Vikings’ 31-point outburst against the Commanders was a bit of an outlier. It was just the second time all season the Vikes had scored 30+ points in a game. In the previous four weeks, they averaged just 10.5 points per game. While the Vikings should do better than that against a leaky Cowboys’ defense, they just haven’t looked very competent on offense this season. On the other side of the ball, they should be able to contain a pass-happy Cowboys offense that has tormented plenty of subpar defenses.
Points to Consider for Sunday Night Football
It’s certainly worth noting that the under is 5-0 in the Vikings’ last five games. Things should be headed that way again on Sunday Night Football. Under 47.5 points is a good pick, as the Cowboys have only averaged 24 points per game in their previous three home games anyway.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Minnesota Vikings are coming off a strong win and are looking to continue their momentum against the Dallas Cowboys. With the Vikings’ strong pass defense and the Cowboys’ weak secondary, this game has the potential to be a low-scoring affair. Consider betting on under 47.5 points, as well as J.J. McCarthy over 1.5 passing TDs and Dak Prescott under 264.5 passing yards. These picks have a good chance of paying off, given the strengths and weaknesses of both teams.
