Getty Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on November 10, 2019 in Arlington, Texas.
The Dallas Cowboys suffered a setback in their fight to control the NFC East after a home loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 10, but another matchup with the NFC North offers them a chance to get back on track before facing Tom Brady in Week 12.
The Cowboys (5-4) begin a two-game road stint with Sunday’s noon CT kickoff against the Detroit Lions, who find themselves on their last legs in a season that once appeared promising and will trudge on without starting quarterback Matthew Stafford for yet another week.
The Cowboys are 7-point favorites to win the matchup with an over/under set at 46.5, according to Odds Shark, despite the Lions starting the week as just 2.5-point underdogs.
Here’s some more background on the teams along with stats and advice on who walks away with a win in Week 11.
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Cowboys’ Outlook
The NFC North hasn’t been an easy division for the Cowboys this season, as the Packers and Vikings both walked into Jerry World and left with victories. The frustrations are real for a team that is underachieving given its roster houses names such as Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, and Amari Cooper.
The Cowboys slipped into a 14-0 early on in their Sunday Night Football loss to the Vikings, but Prescott finished with 397 passing yards and three touchdowns in the attempted rally. Allowing that offensive momentum to turn into a quick start against the Lions would do some good in supporting a defense that will have a favorable matchup.
Neither Stafford nor Lions lead rusher Kerryon Johnson will be available Sunday, which allows the Cowboys defense to recompose itself against a unit with backups at multiple key positions.
Lions’ Outlook
If there is good news in the Lions’ sinking ship of a season, it is that Ty Johnson is out of concussion protocol and will be a part of the backfield behind 26-year-old backup quarterback Jeff Driskel, who wasn’t awful in his debut for Detroit last week.
Still, the loss to Chicago stung. The Bears have been, at times, outright incompetent on offense this season and were still able to string together three consecutive scoring drives to pull ahead and stay ahead while the Lions sputtered behind. That’s not good with one of the most dynamic passer-rusher tandems in the NFL coming to town.
Stopping Ezekiel Elliott will be challenging enough on its own for the Lions, who are one of three teams giving up more than 400 yards of offense per game. If not run ragged, the secondary will also have to account for Prescott’s array of pass-catchers, which along with Cooper include Randall Cobb, Michael Gallup and Jason Witten.
Cowboys vs. Lions: Pick & Prediction
The Cowboys need to change their luck on the road if they want to be taken seriously as playoff contenders. Losses at the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints haven’t helped that case, which makes beating a backup-filled Detroit team the only proper thing for the Cowboys to do.
Pick: Cowboys -7
Over-under: Under 46.5
Prediction: Cowboys 27, Lions 13
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