Packers vs. Cowboys Point Spread: NFL Wild Card Odds, Prediction
It’s the ninth all-time playoff meeting between Dallas and Green Bay and so far they’re tied at four wins apiece. Green Bay’s won the only two this century, with the latest meeting coming in 2016 at AT&T Stadium.
Dallas finished the regular season 12-5, and their late season leapfrog of Philadelphia earned the Cowboys the divisional title and the two seed in the NFC. But it’s Dallas with arguably the harder first-round playoff matchup. Green Bay’s playing their best football, winning three in a row down the stretch with first-year starting quarterback Jordan Love carving defences up.
Kickoff at AT&T Stadium begins at 4:30 p.m. EST with Dallas a 7.5-point favourite on their home turf and the over-under at 50.5 on the NFL odds.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
One of the biggest betting takeaways from this NFL season is Dallas is not the same team when they’re at home and when they’re on the road. The good news for Cowboys backers is they are elite at home. Dallas swept their eight home games this season while averaging a league-high 37.4 points per game, nearly six points higher than the next-best team at home. Dating back to last year, Dallas is currently on a 16-game winning streak at home.
Green Bay’s the third-highest scoring road team this season with 25.3 points per game. Five straight Packers road games have finished over the total, and all five of the last Packers–Cowboys battles played in Dallas have gone over the total too. Green Bay’s won nine of their last 10 games against Dallas, and covered in five of their last six meetings.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are the youngest team to make the playoffs since the NFL expanded to 16 games in 1978. Ironically, this weekend that’s more of a negative as playoff experience is lacking. But at the same time Jordan Love and his cast of first- and second-year pass-catchers have been in some do-or-die scenarios these past couple weekends. And Love’s gone off, throwing seven touchdown passes and zero interceptions in Green Bay’s past three games/wins. Love finished the season second in the NFL with 32 touchdown passes.
The more daunting task for Green Bay Sunday will be containing Dallas’ explosive offence. Green Bay’s allowed a total of 19 points these past two weeks, but still ranked 17th in yards allowed this season and their 18 takeaways are toward the bottom of the league. The Cowboys can make Sunday a shootout, and if they do Green Bay will need to find an edge via takeaways.
Dallas Cowboys
Of all people, quarterback Dak Prescott is relieved his first playoff action in 2024 is at home. Prescott’s offence hit 40 points in half of their home games this season, a place where Dallas went undefeated at. Prescott, a career 2-4 in the post-season, is one of many Cowboys ready to exercise some playoff demons too. Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy served as the Packers head coach from 2006–2018 but only got to/won one Super Bowl with some elite rosters.
And from Prescott’s league-high 36 touchdown passes, to CeeDee Lamb’s 1,479 receiving yards, Micah Parsons’ 14 sacks, and DaRon Bland’s league-best nine interceptions — there’s no shortage of elite talent on this Cowboys roster. Green Bay’s a good opponent, but if the Cowboys play their best like they typically do at home this will be a cakewalk. But no pressure.
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DAL