The 9-5 Detroit Lions will be playing for their postseason lives this Monday night when they head into AT&T Stadium to tangle with the 12-2 Dallas Cowboys. Kickoff for this key NFC tilt has been set for 8:30 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
Detroit at Dallas Game Overview
The Lions have been in the driver seat in the NFC North the entire second half of the season, but with last week’s 17-6 loss to the New York Giants as four-point road underdogs, they could be in danger of missing the playoffs altogether if they lose their final two games. They come into this game at 8-6 against the spread including a 5-3 record when closing as underdogs. The total has stayed UNDER in their last eight games.
To get past Dallas on Monday night, Detroit is going to need a big game from Matthew Stafford. At one point this season the veteran gunslinger looked like a possible MVP candidate, but a nagging injury to a finger on his throwing hand has impacted his game. It also does not help that the Lions’ leading rusher Theo Riddick has missed the past two games with a bad wrist. He is listed as questionable for Monday night. Detroit may have to rely heavily on a defense that is 10th in the NFL in points allowed (20.4).
The 12-2 Cowboys are one win away from clinching the NFC East as well as locking up the top playoff seed in the NFC. It has not always been pretty down the stretch with a SU 3-1 record in their last four games while failing to cover in all four contests. They are now 9-4-1 ATS on the year with the total staying UNDER in nine of the 14 games. Dallas is 4-2-1 ATS in seven previous home games this year.
Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott was able to silence his critics following a few shaky performances with a spectacular effort last Sunday in the Cowboys’ 26-20 victory at home against Tampa Bay. Dallas just missed covering the 6.5-point spread and Prescott missed just four targets by completing 32-of-36 passing attempts for 279 yards. Running back Ezekiel Elliott continued his assault on the rookie rushing record with 159 yards on 23 carries. He has now rushed for a NFL-high 1,551 yards on 310 carries.
Detroit at Dallas Game Betting Trends
The Lions have covered ATS in five of their last six Monday night games and they are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games against a team with a SU winning record. The total has stayed UNDER in eight of their last 10 games played on a Monday.
The Cowboys have failed to cover in their last four games against a team with a SU winning record and they are 1-5 ATS in their last six Monday night games. The total has stayed UNDER in their last seven December games.
The underdog in this matchup has covered ATS in five of the last six meetings and the total has gone OVER in five of those six games.
