The Dallas Cowboys went to New England on Sunday night with a real chance to pick up a signature win against a contender, and they came away short, falling 13-9. The crucial play came early when New England blocked a Dallas punt, setting up the only touchdown that either team would score. Dallas did have two drives stalled by ten-yard tripping penalties that the NFL came back on Monday and said were erroneous, but the Cowboys made plenty of their own mistakes in the loss, leading owner Jerry Jones to express significant frustration with head coach Jason Garrett.
Now Dallas turns around, four days later, to host the surging Buffalo Bills in a Thanksgiving matinee. The Bills are in the top five in the NFL in points permitted per game, offensive yards permitted and offensive passing yards permitted. They come in with an 8-3 record, winners of three of their last four, including a 20-3 victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Can the Bills pull off what would be an upset despite their superior record? Or will Dallas finally beat a team with a winning record? We have your sports betting preview here.
Bills vs Cowboys 2019 NFL Week 13 Lines & Betting Preview
Ready for primetime. ✊#BUFvsDAL | #GoBills pic.twitter.com/VjIZq6CnTr
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) November 28, 2019
- When: Thursday, November 28, 2019, 4:30 pm ET
- Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
- TV: CBS
- Radio: Westwood One
- Live Stream: NFL Game Pass
- NFL Week 13 Odds: Dallas -7
Why should you bet on the Bills?
Josh Allen has started to come into his own as a game manager for the Bills. Last year, he wowed people with his running, but as his accuracy passing down the field has improved, he has become more of a multidimensional threat in 2019. Against Denver last week, he went 15 for 25 for 185 yards and a pair of scores, also throwing a pick. Devin Singletary ran the ball 21 times for 106 yards. Cole Beasley, who had been a Dallas Cowboy for his entire career before taking a free-agent contract with Buffalo in the offseason, caught six balls for 76 yards and a score against Denver and will certainly be motivated to have a big day against his prior team. The defense was particularly impressive, as Denver only gained 134 yards — and just 49 in the passing game.
Allen has posted a 15:8 TD:INT ratio on the season now, and tailback Frank Gore has given the Bills balance, running the ball for 541 yards on 137 carries, scoring twice. John Brown is having a breakout season at wide receiver, hauling in 58 balls for 856 yards and five score, several of the big-play variety. On the season, Buffalo has a +5.3 point differential per game. The Bills will face a high-octane attack when they visit Dallas, but the Cowboys have developed such a reputation for starting slowly that it is hard to see them jumping all over the Bills. The Cowboys did respond to an earlier three-game losing streak by pounding Philadelphia at home, but the Bills’ defense is much better than the Eagles’.
Why should you put your money on the Cowboys?
In that loss to the Patriots, Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott went just 19 for 33 for 212 yards, throwing an ugly interception on a throw where he passed off his back foot. Randall Cobb had four catches for 86 yards, but 59 of those yards came on one play. Ezekiel Elliott ran the ball 21 times for 86 yards, giving him 919 yards (and seven scores) on the season. Wide receiver Amari Cooper leads the team with 56 catches for 886 yards and seven scores, but he had zero catches on Sunday for the first time in his Cowboys career, as he had limited snaps due to lingering injuries.
The Cowboys’ defense has been solid at times this year, particularly their front seven, but standout linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is ruled out, along with Donovan Wilson. If you like the Cowboys, you see them bouncing back from the criticism that they received after losing to New England last week and dominating a Buffalo team that has picked up some solid wins but does not have the explosive personnel that the Cowboys have.
Final Score Prediction
I know that Dallas fans would like nothing more than to see a repeat performance of the Cowboys’ win over the Eagles, in which they dominated action from the opening kickoff and rolled to a 37-10 win. However, the Bills have a more complete defense than Philadelphia, and if the Cowboys can pull out a win, it will come late — and it won’t be by a touchdown. I predict a final score of Dallas 20, Buffalo 16.
