-
Edgar Chaput
Saints vs. Cowboys Point Spread: NFL Week 2 Odds, Prediction
Few clubs can start new campaigns as brightly as the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys. The Louisiana-based ensemble made gumbo of their divisional rivals the Panthers, cooking them 47-10. The Cowboys travelled to Cleveland in Week 1 and never let the dawgs out, stomping on the Browns 33-17.
Our NFL odds nevertheless favour the host Cowboys by a decent -6.5 margin. The over-under is pegged at 45.5.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The NFL schedule makers have had a hoot with Saints-Cowboys matches, especially during the Drew Brees era. The clubs butted helmets every year from 2012 to 2015 and three more times since. Overall, New Orleans holds a slight 6-4 edge in the last 10 encounters. That said, it was Dallas who claimed a win the last time, which was already three years ago in 2021 (and after Brews hung up his cleats).
Given their respective Week 1 results, no one is surprised to see the Saints and Boys at 1-0 ATS.
The Saints were an average 4-5 during their travels in 2023. It will be interesting to see how good they are on Sunday at cashing in on their opportunities. They were a middle-of-the-pack red zone squad in 2023, converting 53.3 per cent of their opportunities. Dallas is going to be a significantly tougher opponent than Carolina.
If we pretend the January Wild Card game calamity never occurred, the Cowboys were perfect at home in 2023 with a resplendent 8-0 straight-up record. Against the spread, Dallas put up a 6-2 tally when playing in front of their legion of faithful supporters.
New Orleans Saints
It’s safe to say that while the Week 1 performance looked awesome, it’s important not to get carried away. First and foremost, it’s early September. Second, their opponent – the Carolina Panthers – looked like a shipwrecked crew adrift at sea.
But a 47-10 victory is in the record books and that counts for something. The Saints’ defence limited the Panthers to a putrid 1-for-10 on third down and fewer than 200 total yards (193 to be exact). Derek Carr was mercilessly efficient, going 19-for-23, 200 yards and a trio of TDs. That included another fantastic bomb to WR Rashid Shaheed. TE Foster Moreau, arguably the forgotten man in this offence, also contributed with a TD catch of his own. RB Alvin Kamara didn’t amaze with his total of 83 yards, but when blowing out the opposition, a one-TD, 5.5 average per carry day is perfectly fine.
Of note, CB Marshon Lattimore suffered a slight hamstring injury. Keep an eye on that.
Dallas Cowboys
As emphatic as the Saints were, one can muster the argument that the Cowboys’ 33-17 demolition of the Browns was better.
For one, Dallas was the road team. Second, Cleveland has certain expectations heading into 2024. Third, the icing on the cake was that Dak Prescott had just signed a four-year, $240 million contract extension. Was he amazing? Not necessarily: 19-for-23, 179 yards, one TD. He was efficient. Old friend and RB Ezekiel Elliott scored on a short run to get Cowboys fans buzzing. WR Ceedee Lamb, whose summer was predominantly spent wanting a new deal of his own, wasn’t a huge factor but still led with 61 yards and five catches.
This was all about the defence. Micah Parsons, Eric Kendricks, and DeMarcus Lawrence all sent the Browns quarterback to the grass, with Parsons’ five QB hits outshining everyone.
NO
DAL