Chargers vs. Cowboys Point Spread: NFL Week 16 Odds, Prediction
Los Angeles reached double digits wins for the second consecutive season with a gritty 16-13 victory over the Chiefs. QB Justin Herbert, still battling with a broken hand, threw for 210 yards and a touchdown while the Chargers’ defence locked down Patrick Mahomes and company. The Cowboys gave another display of their dazzling inconsistency, losing to the Minnesota Vikings, 34-26, despite outgaining them by nearly 100 yards.
Dallas is all but out of the playoff race, needing three straight wins combined with three losses by the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Chargers are 4-2 straight up and 2-4 against the spread on the road. They have won three of their last four away from home. Dallas, which features the league’s top-ranked offence and 29th-ranked defence, has played to the Over in five of its last seven home games, and nine of 11 overall.
The total is listed at 49.5 points on the NFL game odds. The Chargers and their opponents have not surpassed that number in seven games, and Los Angeles has only done so once in six road games.
Los Angeles Chargers
With stud offensive linemen Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater on injured reserve and Herbert still nursing a broken hand, the Chargers’ identity has increasingly come from its defence, ranked second overall in total yards allowed per game this season.
Los Angeles held the Chiefs to 239 total yards, including just 49 on the ground, as its third-ranked rushing defence strangled Kansas City. For the second straight week, the Chargers had a key interception late. This time, it was Derwin James Jr. with the critical pick.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys are virtually guaranteed to be part of one of the most entertaining games on the slate each week. They have all the sexy stats. Dak Prescott leads the league with 3,931 yards passing. He already has one 1,000-yard receiver in George Pickens, with another – CeeDee Lamb – on the doorstep. Furthermore, Dallas features a 1,000-yard back in Javonte Williams, who went for 91 yards and a score against Minnesota last week.
However, their defence is Bengals-esque, as it allowed Minnesota’s QB J.J. McCarthy to throw for a career-high 250 yards. Meanwhile, their vaunted offence stumbled in one key area – going just two for 12 on third down – failing time and time again to keep drives alive. Tackle Tyler Guyton, one of Prescott’s key protectors, is again questionable to play on Sunday with an ankle injury.
NFL Prediction: Who Will Win Chargers vs. Cowboys?
What Cowboys team are we going to get? They scream inconsistency, which is evident in a 6-7-1 record that features no more than three consecutive wins or two straight losses. They are 4-2 at home, and the Chargers are struggling to put points on the board. However, Los Angeles coach Jim Harbaugh has his team grinding right now.
The Chargers will find a way to overcome their limitations on offence and pull out a 24-21 victory to clinch their second straight playoff berth while ending the Cowboys’ postseason dreams in the process.
LAC
DAL