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The Dallas Cowboys will play their second straight home game when they host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at AT&T Stadium. Dallas is coming off a dominant 41-21 win against the division rival Philadelphia Eagles. Carolina is currently undefeated and will look to build on a 24-9 home victory over the Houston Texans. It's time to continue our NFL odds series and make a Panthers-Cowboys prediction and pick.
Here's how the bookmakers have set the odds.
NFL Odds: Panthers-Cowboys Odds
Panthers: +5 (-120)
Cowboys: -5 (+100)
Over: 50.5 (-112)
Under: 50.5 (-108)
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Why the Panthers Could Cover the Spread
The Panthers are one of the few remaining undefeated teams in the NFL. Unfortunately, they will be without running back Christian McCaffrey for a few weeks due to a hamstring injury he suffered in the first half of the last game against the Texans. So far this season, the Panthers are averaging 23 points per game and 390.3 total yards per game. The Cowboys are giving up 402.0 yards per game to opponents, with nearly 332 of those coming through the air. This season, Sam Darnold has thrown for 888 yards, with 285 of those yards to top target DJ Moore.
Carolina's defense has been the strength of the team so far and has put the league on high alert. The Panthers lead the NFL in opponent yards per game (191.0), opponent yards per play (3.8), opponent touchdowns per game (1.3), and rank second in opponent points per game (10.0).
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Shaq Thompson leads the Panthers with 20 total tackles, while Hassan Reddick has a team-high 4.5 sacks. Carolina is 8-0 against the spread in its last eight road games and 9-2 against the spread as an underdog in the previous 11 games.
Why the Cowboys Could Cover the Spread
Since returning from injury, Dak Prescott has looked like a driven quarterback on a mission this year. Prescott has totaled 878 passing yards in just three games this season with a 77.5% completion rate. He has thrown six touchdown passes with a QBR of 110.1. Dallas' offense ranks in the top 10 in points per game (30.0), yards per game (416.7), and touchdowns per game (3.7).
In the most recent win against Philadelphia, the Cowboys scored 41 points on 380 total yards and controlled the clock for 34:58 of the game. With McCaffrey sidelined, the Panthers will look to pass more, and therefore the Cowboys will gain the advantage with the clock if they can get the Panthers off the field.
Dallas brought in defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, an instant upgrade over Mike Nolan, and has been improving that side of the ball. Linebacker Micah Parsons is making an immediate impact on defense as well. Cornerback Trevon Diggs has three interceptions thus far for Dallas. Despite giving up a lot of yards, the Cowboys are yielding only 23.0 points per game to opponents, which ranks 13th in the NFL.
Without McCaffrey, Dallas should have the edge in this matchup at home in Arlington.
Final Panthers-Cowboys Prediction & Pick
The stingy Panthers defense will face a challenging task against an offense that has been clicking this season. Dak Prescott is making a run for Comeback Player of the Year, and the tandem of Ezekiel Elliot and Tony Pollard out of the backfield has been very productive so far for the Cowboys' offense. The Panthers are a completely different team with McCaffrey out of the lineup, and they will be limited on the offensive side of the ball. The Cowboys are much-improved defensively this season and should be able to contain Sam Darnold on Sunday. Expect Dallas to cover the five-point spread and win by a touchdown.
Final pick: Dallas -5
