The 3-8 Dallas Cowboys will travel to M&T Bank Stadium in Week 13 to take on the 6-5 Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday Night Football. This game has been moved around due to the Ravens' COVID-19 outbreak last week.
The Cowboys got blown out in Week 12 at home on Thanksgiving Day against the Washington Football Team. Dallas lost by a final score of 41-16. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy called one of the worst fake punts in NFL history and the failed conversion blew the game wide open for Washington.
The Ravens, meanwhile, lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 12, 19-14. Baltimore played without its top players on offense in Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram, Mark Andrews and Willie Snead due to COVID-19.
Jackson, the reigning NFL MVP, is expected to play against the Cowboys, as is Mark Ingram.
With the Ravens and Cowboys set to kick off soon, let's take a look at four bold predictions for the contest from a Dallas point of view.
1. Andy Dalton throws one touchdown, two interceptions
Andy Dalton is 1-3 as a starter this season for the Cowboys since taking over for Dak Prescott. The veteran gunslinger has thrown for 870 yards while completing 65.1 percent of his passes. Dalton has five touchdown passes and five interceptions, with his lone win coming against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11.
The Ravens have one of the best defenses in the NFL. They are only giving up 19.5 points per game, which is good for third in the NFL. With that being said, we have Dalton struggling against the Ravens in Week 13. Look for the Cowboys' signal-caller to throw one touchdown and get picked off twice.
Dalton has thrown an interception in four straight games. He's faced the Ravens 16 times in his career and has a record of 8-8. The 33-year-old has thrown 21 touchdowns and 18 interceptions against Baltimore.
The Cowboys are only averaging 22.8 points per game, 24th in the NFL. We don't see Dalton and Co. having much success on Tuesday even though Dallas has gotten plenty of rest since the team hasn't played in a while.
2. Cowboys give up more than 30 points to Ravens
The Cowboys have the worst defense in the NFL. They are giving up 32.6 points per game on the season and can't stop the running game whatsoever.
Even though Jackson and the Ravens' offense hasn't looked explosive this season, we expect Baltimore to have its way against the Cowboys' defense on Tuesday. Look for Dallas to give up more than 30 points to the Ravens with Jackson and Ingram returning to the lineup.
The Cowboys have allowed more than 30 points this season six times already. Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan is probably going to lose his job after just one season in Dallas. Many pundits have questioned why McCarthy even hired Nolan in the first place.
The Ravens are 14th in the NFL in points per game at 25.6. Jackson has thrown for 1,948 yards and 15 touchdowns on the season. He should be able to carve up the Cowboys' secondary since every other quarterback has had success in 2020 against Dallas.
3. Amari Cooper catches one touchdown
The Cowboys' best wideout, Amari Cooper has 71 receptions on the season for 848 yards and three touchdowns. His touchdown in Week 12 against Washington was his first score since Week 6 versus the Arizona Cardinals.
Without Prescott throwing him the ball, Cooper has struggled to get into the end zone in 2020.
However, we actually have Cooper scoring his fourth touchdown of the season in Week 13 against the Ravens. In three career games versus Baltimore, Cooper has 13 receptions on 19 targets for 165 yards. Back in 2015 as a member of the Raiders, he torched the Ravens for 109 yards and one touchdown.
While Dalton is a below-average quarterback at this stage of his career, he can still make a few nice reads and throws from time to time. While it's been tough sledding for Cooper's fantasy owners this season, we have them celebrating on Tuesday after their wide receiver scores a touchdown.
4. Cowboys lose to Ravens, drop to 3-9
We have the Cowboys losing to the Ravens on Tuesday and dropping to 3-9 on the season. Baltimore has the better quarterback, running game, wide receiver core, overall defense, and head coach in this matchup.
It would be a huge upset if the Cowboys are somehow able to take down the Ravens, who are in desperate need of a win to stay alive in the playoff picture in the AFC.
All signs point toward Dallas missing the playoffs this season. After the team lost Prescott to a devastating injury, they have been a walking disaster on both sides of the ball.
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