The NFL Preseason is into its final week, meaning it’s time for one last tune-up before the real action kicks off in September. The schedule got started on Thursday, but football fans are in for a treat with a whopping nine games on deck for Friday night. In one of those, the New Orleans Saints look to tune up against a Dallas Cowboys squad that’s primed for a bounce-back campaign.
Here’s a prediction and pick for Saints vs. Cowboys in the NFL Preseason on Friday, courtesy of odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Saints vs. Cowboys preview
The preseason really doesn’t mean all that much in the grand scheme of things, so it shouldn’t be used as a measuring stick for a team’s future performance. However, for the clubs themselves, there are reasons that these games do matter – especially with the final week of games serving as a final opportunity to evaluate talent, potentially deciding position battles and depth moves.
It’s been a winless preseason so far for the Saints, who dropped their opener 24-20 to the Jacksonville Jaguars and lost in a brutal 34-0 shutout to the Los Angeles Rams in week two. Penalties were a key theme in both, as were interceptions. What’s interesting is that New Orleans’ offense was respectable with around 300 yards in each contest, but just unable to find much scoring punch when it mattered while getting punched themselves on defense in the latter matchup.
The Saints’ starters will sit out tonight, but that’s hardly a surprise. As such, Spencer Rattler and Zach Wilson are poised to battle for the QB2 job – neither looked great against L.A., but Wilson actually went 11-for-16 with 145 yards and a touchdown in the opener. After signing with the team this offseason, perhaps he can supplant the incumbent Rattler for backup duties behind Tyler Shough. Now, Audric Estime will be the lead halfback following a season-ending injury for backfield mate Ty Chandler, though Devin Neal does loom in the battle for RB3. Jalen Cropper has stood out at wideout in these games, though Barion Brown and Bub Means have also put forth notable performances as depth.
The Cowboys are the opposite of their opponent, having gone 2-0 in their two contests so far. They beat the Seattle Seahawks 17-7 and followed it with a 34-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, displaying the same high-flying offense as last year despite the absence of the starters. Clearly, some things don’t change.
Of course, Dallas won’t play those starters again tonight as the club seeks to protect health above all else. Now, there is a fight for the QB2 job as Joe Milton III and Sam Howell square off. The former is 21-for-28 with 286 yards and three touchdowns this preseason, and he seems to have a leg up on the competition after efficient performances of 100+ yards in each game. Sam Howell hasn’t displayed the same strong arm, but he’s also been efficient outside of an interception and can move in the pocket a little better. There are a couple of other standouts – namely wideout Camden Brown with two catches for 77 yards last time out and three grabs for 62 yards and two scores in the opener. Malik Davis and Jaydon Blue are also fighting for backup halfback duties.
Saints vs. Cowboys prediction, pick
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Cowboys as a three-point home favorite in this matchup with -152 odds to win on the Moneyline. The Sainta are a +126 underdog with the game total set at 38.5 combined points.
Dallas has been a force this preseason, even without any of its key starters getting time on the field. After two dominant efforts on offense with a quarterback who’s flashing significant upside in Milton, it’s tough to not feel bullish about them here tonight as well. The Cowboys racked up 338 yards and went 11-for-15 on third downs in the first game, then posted 413 yards and finished 6-for-10 on third in the second outing. It’s tough to bet against that, especially when facing a squad that’s struggled to find many positives while coming off back-to-back losses.
Call me crazy, but I like an alt line of Dallas -6.5 at +135 value.
