The Dallas Cowboys (+3) will clash with the Indianapolis Colts (-3) at Lucas Oil Stadium. FOX is scheduled to have the TV rights and this key early afternoon game starts at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: Indianapolis Colts vs. Dallas Cowboys
In this Sunday matchup, Indianapolis is projected as the favorite and the team’s currently giving up 3 points. The Cowboys are also receiving +130 moneyline odds while the Colts are -150. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 47 points, and if one squad catches a lucky break early, it would probably create a nice live betting scenario.
Both of these teams have rewarded gamblers this season as the Cowboys have gained 5.5 units while the Colts are up 1.4 units.
The Cowboys are 8-5 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Colts are 7-6 SU.
The Cowboys just scored a 29-23 win over Philadelphia last week. The passing game could’ve been better as Dak Prescott completed 42-of-54 passes for 455 yards, three scores and two interceptions. Ezekiel Elliott (113 yards on 28 rush attempts) led the ground attack. Elliott (12 receptions, 79 yards) and Amari Cooper (10 catches, 217 yards, three TDs) shared the receiving duties in the win.
The Indianapolis Colts are coming off of a 24-21 win over Houston in Week 14. The defensive secondary allowed the Texans to air it out for 267 yards. Ryan Griffin had a productive showing in the loss, posting 80 yards on five catches for Houston. For Indianapolis, Andrew Luck completed 27-of-41 passes for 399 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Marlon Mack (33 yards on 14 rush attempts, one TD) led the running game as T.Y. Hilton (nine receptions, 199 yards) and Chester Rogers (five catches, 36 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the win.
Dallas has run the ball on 47.0 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Indianapolis has a rush percentage of 37.2 percent. The Cowboys have run for 132.3 yards per game and have 11 scores on the ground this year. The Colts are averaging 102.5 rush yards per game and have eight total rushing TDs.
It appears that the Cowboys may own an advantage in terms of efficiency in the ground game. Their running backs has logged 4.6 yards per carry while their defense is allowing 3.6 yards per rush attempt to opponents. The Colts have tallied 4.2 yards per carry and given up 3.8 yards per rush attempt to opponents.
The Cowboys offensive scheme has tallied 240.8 yards per contest in the air overall and has 17 passing TDs so far. The Colts have put up 289.3 pass yards per game and have 34 total pass scores.
Defensively, Dallas seems to have the upper hand in both phases. The team has allowed 86.8 rush yards and 242.7 pass yards per game. The Indianapolis defense has allowed 257.9 yards per game to opposing passers and 102.9 yards per game to opposing runners. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Cowboys have given up an ANY/A of 6.43 to opposing QBs, while the Colts are allowing an ANY/A of 6.38.
Luck has completed 326-of-478 passes for 3,511 yards, 34 TDs and 12 INTs for Indianapolis. His adjusted net yards per pass attempt sits at 7.23 for the year and 5.71 over his last two games. In the other locker room, Prescott is up to 2,882 passing yards this year, and has connected on 261-of-390 attempts with 16 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions. Prescott has a 6.11 ANY/A, including 6.88 over the last two outings.
Dallas Cowboys at Indianapolis Colts Free NFL Tip
SU Winner: Colts, ATS Winner: Cowboys, O/U: Over
Team Betting Notes
- Each team defense has produced 35 sacks this year.
- The Indianapolis offense has lost seven fumbles this season while Dallas has lost eight.
- The Cowboys offense has produced eight pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Colts have put up five such plays.
- The Dallas defense has allowed six pass plays of 40+ yards, while Indianapolis has given up three such plays.
- The Dallas offense has created nine rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Indianapolis has created seven such runs.
- The Cowboys defense has allowed six rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Colts have given up nine such runs.
- Indianapolis has won seven of its last eight games SU, with a -6-point loss to Jacksonville on December 2nd accounting for the only defeat over that stretch.
- Dallas, as a team, has averaged 3.8 yards per rush attempt across its past three games and 3.6 over its last two.
- Indianapolis has averaged 3.2 yards per carry over its last three outings and 2.3 over its last two.
