The Cowboys are a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Meanwhile, the Colts are one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL this year. Sadly, the Sunday Night Football game is unlikely to be competitive. One way to spice up a probable non-competitive game is wagering on it. Will the Cowboys handle their business and blow the doors off the Colts? After looking at both clubs, we’ll render a verdict before offering our favorite Cowboys vs. Colts predictions for the game.
Cowboys vs. Colts Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colts | +10 (-105) | +410 | O 44 (-110) |
| @ Cowboys | -10 (-115) | -520 | U 44 (-110) |
Odds complied via Betway Sportsbook. New to Betway? Check out our Betway Sportsbook Review to find out how to redeem a $250 risk-free bet!
Game Info
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 20
- Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
- Location: AT&T Stadium – Arlington, TX
- TV: NBC
Cowboys vs. Colts Trends
- The Cowboys opened as 9.5-point favorites on Monday (11/28), climbed to an 11-point favorite on Tuesday, dipped to a 10.5-point favorite, and settled in as a 10.0-point favorite.
- Dallas is 5-0 against the spread in their last five games following an against-the-spread loss.
- The Cowboys are 5-0 against the spread in their last five home games versus a team with a losing record.
- Dallas is 5-1 against the spread in their last six games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game.
- The Cowboys are 13-3 against the spread versus a team with a losing record.
- Dallas is 4-1 against the spread in their last five home games.
- The Colts are 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 games following a straight-up loss.
- Indianapolis is 2-5 against the spread in their last seven road games.
Dallas is the Real Deal
According to Pro-Football-Reference, the Cowboys have the second-highest point differential (92). Their ability to significantly outscore opponents this year is more impressive, considering Cooper Rush started five games.
Dallas’s offense has taken flight since Dak Prescott returned in Week 7 from his injury. The Cowboys have scored 24, 49, 28, 40, and 28 points in five games since his return in Week 7. In addition, per Football Outsiders, Dallas is ninth in total offense Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA), fifth in rushing DVOA, and eighth in passing DVOA since Week 7. So, the offense is outstanding by any measure.
Dallas’s defense is excellent, too. The Cowboys are sixth in yards allowed per play (4.9), first in sacks (45), and second in scoring defense (17.0 points per game). They’re also third in total defense DVOA, fifth in rush defense DVOA, and fifth in pass defense DVOA since Week 7. Thus, the Cowboys are an elite club that can win in various ways and blow out their opponents when both the offense and defense are cooking.
The Colts Are ‘Meh’
The Colts have played so poorly this year that they benched Matt Ryan for a 2021 sixth-round pick, fired head coach Frank Reich after Sam Ehlinger’s predictable failure, hired Jeff Saturday from ESPN — that’s not a typo — to serve as the interim head coach, and reinserted Matty Ice atop the depth chart. Yikes.
Indianapolis has been outscored by 54 points this year. They also haven’t magically turned their season around with Saturday guiding them. The Colts have scored 25, 15, and 17 points in three games since Saturday took the reigns. They’ve also fallen short of 300 yards of offense in back-to-back games and lost by seven points to the underwhelming Pittsburgh Steelers at home last week. The Cowboys are markedly better, and the Colts are on the road this week.
The advanced metrics weren’t impressive in Indy’s past three games, either. Since Week 10, they’re 28th in total offense DVOA. Moreover, they’re 30th in pass offense DVOA in that three-game sample, which will likely be a problem when they fall behind against the superior Cowboys. Further, they’re 12th in total defense DVOA in the Saturday era. That’s a fine ranking, but it’s not good enough to compensate for the offense’s futility.
Cowboys vs. Colts Predictions
The Cowboys should beat the Colts convincingly. However, will they beat Indy by more than 10 points? I like their odds of doing so.
Indy had their worst loss in the three-game tenure of interim head coach Saturday last week, losing by seven points to the Steelers. Meanwhile, Dallas has played at a high level since Prescott returned. In their last five games, they’ve won by 18, won by 20, lost by 3, won by 37, and won by 8. So, they’ve won by more than 10 in three of their last five games and outscored their opponents by 80 points. These two teams are headed in opposite directions, and the Cowboys should boat race the Colts tonight.
Pick: Cowboys -10 | -115 at Betway Sportsbook