Dallas Cowboys vs. New Orleans Saints Matchup Preview (12/2/21): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

Dallas Cowboys vs. New Orleans Saints Matchup Preview (12/2/21)

Week lucky 13 opens with the Dallas Cowboys going on the road to play the New Orleans Saints.  Each club played at home on Thanksgiving and lost.  Dallas lost in overtime to the Las Vegas Raiders, 36-33.  But they are 7-4 and leading the NFC East.  The Cowboys have lost four of their last five Thanksgiving games.  Per NFL.com, the Cowboys had 110 penalty yards on third down against the Raiders, the most by any team on third down in a game since at least 1991.  New Orleans was beaten handily by the Buffalo Bills, 31-6 on the night they honored their legendary quarterback, Drew Brees.  The Saints now 5-6 could have used the Super Bowl XLIV MVP in their lineup as New Orleans has thrown at least one interception in two straight games. The Saints have scored seven points or fewer in the first half in each of their six losses this season.

Dallas Cowboys vs. New Orleans Saints Betting Odds

Dallas is 5-point road favorite in week 13.  New Orleans is 5-6 against the spread this season; 1-3 at home.  Per NFL.com, the Cowboys have 400 plus total yards eight times this season, most such games in the NFL.  The Saints have scored in 315 straight games: fourth longest streak in NFL history.  Dallas is scoring 22.6 points per game on the road and New Orleans is scoring 25.2 points per game at home this season.

A big question for both teams is who’ll be healthy to play in the game.  To name a few injuries for Dallas, Amari Cooper (COVID-19) and CeeDee Lamb are both expected to play vs. the Saints.  Ezekiel Elliott the Cowboys leading rusher with 720 yards on the ground is battling a knee injury which limited him on Thanksgiving.  On the Saints side, their top two running backs Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram each missed the Thanksgiving game against Buffalo, but each practiced this past Sunday.  Taysom Hill was dressed but served as the emergency quarterback due to a foot injury, offensive line stalwart Ryan Ramczyk was also out vs. the Bills with a knee injury (he practiced this past Sunday) and one of their most important players on defense, Marcus Davenport also missed week 12 due to a knee injury.  

Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy is now out for Thursday’s game due to COVID-19.  It’ll be interesting to see what impact that’ll have on the game.

The Cowboys have Dak Prescott triggering the offense with more playmakers on defense than the Saints, despite the standout play of Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis to march into New Orleans and get their eighth win of the season.

My Prediction: Dallas 28-17, Dallas covers and under 48 points.

TV Schedule

Date: 2nd, December 2021
Time: 8:20 PM ET
Location: Caesars Superdome
TV Coverage: FOX

Dallas Cowboys vs. New Orleans Saints Live Stream

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Dallas Cowboys Analysis

Dallas is averaging 419.8 yards per game of total offense, leading the NFL, and averaging 29.6 points per game this season. 

Dak Prescott was one of the top MVP candidates for the first six weeks of the season, throwing for 16 touchdowns, 1,813 yards and leading the team to a 5-1 record.  But his play over the past four games, in which Dallas is 1-3 has significantly decreased his chances of winning the award.  In those games he has thrown for an average of 279.75 yards per game, six touchdown passes and sacked eight times.  He suffered a calf injury in the win vs. New England and missed the game against the Vikings in week 8.  He’s currently listed at +950 to win the 2021 NFL MVP.  Against the Raiders on Thanksgiving (in overtime), he was 32-47 for 375 yards, two touchdowns, one sack and completed 68.09% of his passes.  Prescott has thrown at least two touchdowns 41 times in his career and has the third most completions in Cowboys history.   

CeeDee Lamb missed the game on Thanksgiving due to a concussion suffered vs. Kansas City but is expected back in week 13.  He’s the team leader in receiving with 50 receptions for 740 yards and six touchdowns.  The first-round pick in 2020 is averaging 14.8 per reception and 74 yards per game in 2021.   Amari Cooper who has been out the last two weeks is expected to return on Thursday.  Cooper has 44 receptions for 583 yards and five touchdowns this season: averaging 13.3 yards per reception.   Tight End Dalton Schultz is second on the Cowboys in receptions with 47 this season.  He also has 537 receiving yards and is averaging 11.4 yards per catch in 2021.  Schultz has four receiving touchdowns this season; he had four in his first three seasons. 

Dallas arguably has the Defensive Player of the Year in Trevon Diggs and the Defensive Rookie of the Year in Micah Parsons.  Diggs in his second season has dominant in the secondary this season.  He leads the league in interceptions with eight, including returning two for touchdowns.  Diggs also has 13 passes defensed and 30 solo tackles in 2021.  Parsons the 12^th pick in the 2021 draft has nine sacks on the season.  He has surpassed DeMarcus Ware (eight in 2005) for the most sacks by a Dallas rookie since 1982.  Besides the sacks, the rookie from Penn State has 67 tackles (52 solo and 15 assists), a league leading 15 tackles for loss and 23 quarterback hits.  He’s currently listed at -400 to win the Rookie Defensive Player of the Year.  

Dallas Cowboys Depth Chart

QB: Dak Prescott
RB1: Ezekiel Elliott
RB2: Tony Pollard
WR1: CeeDee Lamb
WR2: Michael Gallup
WR3: Cedrick Wilson
TE1: Dalton Schultz

New Orleans Saints Analysis

New Orleans is averaging 309.4 yards per game of total offense and averaging 23.4 points per game this season. 

Trevor Siemian did not play well against the Bills on Thanksgiving evening.  He was 16-27 for 163 yards, one touchdown, one interception while completing 58.62% of his passes.   The former Bronco and Jet has lost each of his four starts this season. New Orleans was 5-2 with Jameis Winston as starter.  Siemian has thrown at least one touchdown pass in five straight games which is the longest streak of his career.  In his five games played this season (he’s started four of them), he has thrown for 1,083 yards, nine touchdowns, three interceptions and completing 57.2% of his passes.  

Due to a foot injury, Taysom Hill was listed as the emergency quarterback for the Thanksgiving game against Buffalo.  Sean Payton’s swiss army knife was 3-1 last year starting for the injured Drew Brees; throwing for 834 yards, rushing for 209 yards and accounting for eight touchdowns (four passing and four rushing). Are Hill who’s been battling a foot injury and/or rookie Ian Book out of Notre Dame, better options at quarterback than Trevor Siemian who has looked average at best in his four starts?

Alvin Kamara is the engine that makes the Saints offense go, but he was out vs. Buffalo and he’s questionable for Thursday’s nights clash with the Cowboys because of an MCL strain.  This season, he has rushed for 530 yards, but also has 310 yards receiving out of the backfield and has scored seven total touchdowns (three rushing and four receiving).  Mark Ingram acquired from the Texans at the end of October also missed the games against the Bills due to a knee injury; he’s questionable for Thursday.  He has rushed for 205 yards in 4 games for the Saints this season.  Tony Jones had 16 carries for 27 yards and Ty Montgomery ran for 14 yards in the loss to the Bills, that simply is not enough production for a team to win a game in the NFL.  When Kamara and Ingram are healthy, the Saints have a dangerous 1-2 punch capable of controlling the game on the ground.  

The Saints’ defense is allowing 343.7 yards per game in total offense and 22.6 points per game to their opponents this season.  

New Orleans Saints Depth Chart

QB: Trevor Siemian
RB1: Alvin Kamara
RB2: Mark Ingram
WR1: Marquez Callaway
WR2: Deonte Harris
WR3: Tre’Quan Smith
TE1: Adam Trautman
TE2: Juwan Johnson

Dallas Cowboys vs. New Orleans Saints Daily Fantasy Picks

With Ezekiel Elliott battling a knee injury, he will be limited against the Saints.  Tony Pollard might be worth having in your lineup especially if special teams’ points are counted in your league.  He had a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown against the Raiders that was the longest for the Cowboys since early in the 2002 season.   Pollard is the Cowboys second leading rusher this season with 531 yards on 100 carries, averaging an impressive 5.3 yards per carry. 

Without Michael Thomas, who’s out for the season, the Saints are missing a big-time number one receiver. Marquez Callaway has six touchdown grabs to lead the Saints.  On the season he has been targeted 51 times catching 27 of those for 396 yards; averaging an impressive 14.7 yards per receptions.  If you have solid group of receivers in your lineup, Callaway could be worth using as a flex player if your league permits.