It’ll be a NFC-NFC showdown as the Los Angeles Rams (-7) are favorites against the Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs. The game is scheduled to kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET and fans can watch the action live on FOX.
Betting Preview: Los Angeles Rams vs. Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys head into this Saturday NFC matchup as the dog here and they’re currently being given 7 points. The Cowboys are also receiving +230 moneyline odds while the Rams are -280. There should be some good in-game betting possibilities while this matchup’s taking place, and oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 49.5 points.
Both of these teams have been profitable this season as the Cowboys have gained 8.8 units while the Rams are up 1.4 units.
The Cowboys are 11-6 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Rams are 13-3 SU.
The Cowboys just put together a 24-22 win over Seattle last week. Dak Prescott completed 22-of-33 passes for 226 yards, as well as a TD and an interception. Ezekiel Elliott (137 rushing yards on 26 attempts, one TD) led the ground attack in the win. Amari Cooper (seven receptions, 106 yards) and Elliott (four catches, 32 yards) shared the receiving duties.
The Los Angeles Rams just earned a 48-32 win over San Francisco. The defense allowed the 49ers to run for 127 yards on 22 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. George Kittle was a bright spot in the loss for San Francisco, recording 149 yards on nine catches. For Los Angeles, Jared Goff completed 15-of-26 passes for 199 yards and four touchdowns. C.J. Anderson (132 rushing yards on 23 attempts, one TD) and John Kelly (30 yards on 15 carries) spearheaded the ground game in the win as Brandin Cooks (five receptions, 62 yards, two TDs) and Josh Reynolds (four catches, 55 yards, two TDs) led the pass-catching attack.
In terms of offensive play-calling, each squad sports a similar run-pass ratio on the season. Dallas has run the ball on 45.8 percent of its offensive possessions while Los Angeles has a rush percentage of 44.7. The Cowboys have produced 125.1 rush yards/game and have 15 touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Rams are putting up 139.4 rush yards per game and have 23 total rushing TDs.
If 2018 results are any indication, then the Rams ought to hold an edge when it comes to quarterback protection. Their offensive line has yielded only 33 sacks while the D-line has logged 41 sacks. The Cowboys O-line has given up 57 sacks and their defense has logged only 40 sacks.
The Cowboys offensive scheme has averaged 241.8 yards in the air overall and has 23 passing scores so far. The Rams have put up 295.6 pass yards per game and have 32 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Dallas has allowed 93.3 rush yards and 248.1 pass yards per game. The Los Angeles defense has given up 256.6 yards per game to opposing passers and 122.3 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to the opposition, as the Cowboys have given up an ANY/A of 6.63 to opposing QBs, while the Rams are yielding an ANY/A of 6.25.
Offensively, Prescott has amassed 3,724 passing yards this season, and has completed 351-of-515 attempts with 19 passing scores and nine interceptions. Prescott’s got a 5.92 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 7.79 over the last two outings.
Look for a balanced attack offensively from Dallas in this one. Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper and Blake Jarwin have combined for 440 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns over the last two outings.
For the home team, Jared Goff has completed 345-of-537 passes for 4,472 yards, 31 TDs and 12 INTs. Goff’s ANY/A stands at 7.66 for the year and 9.44 over his past two outings.
C.J. Anderson (236 rushing yards, one rush TD, one receiving touchdown on the year), Robert Woods (1,130 receiving yards, five receiving TDs) and Brandin Cooks (1,169 receiving yards, five receiving TDs) have combined for 569 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns over the past two games.
When these two franchises faced one another a year ago, Los Angeles got the victory 35-30.
Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams NFL Prediction
SU Winner: Cowboys, ATS Winner: Cowboys, O/U: Under
Team Betting Trends
- Each team has produced nine pass plays of 40 or more yards. The Cowboys have have made 22 pass plays of 30+ yards while the Rams have accounted for 24 such plays.
- The Dallas defense has allowed nine pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Los Angeles has given up 10 such plays.
- The Dallas offense has created 11 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Los Angeles has created 14 such runs.
- The Cowboys defense has allowed 10 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Rams have given up 16 such runs.
- The Los Angeles defense has registered 41 sacks on the year while Dallas has 40.
- As a team, Dallas has produced 3.7 yards per carry over its past three games and 3.8 over its last two.
- Los Angeles has averaged 5.0 yards per carry over its last three outings and 5.1 over its past two.
- Over its last three games, Los Angeles is 2-1 ATS.
- The Over/Under for Dallas’ previous game was set at 43. The over cashed in the team’s 24-22 win over Seattle.
- In its last three games, Dallas is 1-1-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Los Angeles’ last game was 50. The over cashed in the 48-32 victory over San Francisco.
- Dallas has won nine of its last 10 games SU, with a December 16th defeat to Indianapolis accounting for the only loss over that span.
