Commanders vs. Cowboys Point Spread: NFL Week 18 Odds, Prediction
Washington opened as a 3-point favourite on the NFL odds.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
There is simply no reason for Washington coach Dan Quinn to play his starters much if at all here because the Commanders will be playing on the road at an opponent TBA on Wild-Card Weekend, so why risk injury? One reason some guys might play a little is for individual statistical bonuses or the like for hitting a certain benchmark, etc. Quarterback Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, has basically locked up Offensive Rookie of the Year honours.
The Cowboys have been one of the league’s most disappointing teams as they will finish with a losing record for the first time since 2020, which was coach Mike McCarthy’s first year in Big D. This will be his last with McCarthy not having a contract for next season, and it would be truly shocking for owner Jerry Jones to give him another one after this year – although to be fair, the team has been hammered by injuries. Many believe that former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel will be McCarthy’s replacement.
One of the better games the Cowboys played this year was Week 12 when they upset the Commanders 34-26 in Maryland. That fourth quarter might have been the wackiest quarter of any game this year with a whopping 41 points scored. The Commanders were down 27-20 with under 30 seconds left but appeared to have tied the game on a Daniels to Terry McLaurin 86-yard TD pass. But Austin Seibert missed the PAT, which forced Washington to try an onside kick. That was returned for a TD by Dallas.
Dallas is 7-3 SU and ATS in the past 10 meetings. The over has hit in three straight.
Washington Commanders
Washington’s 30-24 overtime home victory over Atlanta on Sunday night did two things immediately: Clinched the final NFC wild-card spot for the Commanders and handed the NFC West title to the Los Angeles Rams and eliminated Seattle. Quarterback and rookie No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels cemented the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award on Sunday by leading the team with 127 yards rushing and throwing for three scores, including the winner to tight end Zach Ertz in OT. Daniels became the first rookie ever with at least three pass TDs and 125 rush yards in a game and first rookie QB ever with at least 10 wins, 30 total touchdowns and 4,000 yards of total offence in a season.
The Commanders will be either the NFC’s No. 6 or No. 7 seed and on the road Wild-Card Weekend so I can’t imagine Dan Quinn plays Daniels or any starters here. Washington’s 11 wins are the franchise’s most since 1991, the year it won the franchise’s last Super Bowl title.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys decided to shut down Pro Bowl receiver CeeDee Lamb (101 catches, 1,194 yards, six TDs) with a shoulder injury ahead of Week 17 – he certainly would have played if that game or this one meant anything — and then got clobbered 41-7 in Philadelphia to see a two-game winning streak snapped. Cooper Rush struggled without Lamb, throwing for just 147 yards with two picks. I do think we see most Dallas starters here for a bit. For example, star pass-rusher Micah Parsons needs a half-sack to become the fifth player in NFL history with double-digit sacks in each of his first four seasons, joining Reggie White, Claude Humphrey, Derrick Thomas and Dwight Freeney.
But it’s possible the veteran Rush takes a seat and Trey Lance makes his first start under centre for Dallas, which gave up a fourth-round pick in the summer of 2023 to get Lance and has never really seen what he can do.
WAS
DAL