The Daily Sweat: Cowboys try to turn around losing skid vs. Saints

The loss to the Denver Broncos seemed like an anomaly. The loss at the Kansas City Chiefs was understandable.

But after the Las Vegas Raiders dealt the Dallas Cowboys their third loss in four games, Dallas should be a bit alarmed.

Dallas’ 6-1 start hasn’t been completely washed away, but a game at the New Orleans Saints will be telling. The Cowboys are 4.5-point favorites over the Saints at BetMGM.

If the Cowboys lose at the Superdome on Thursday night — and clearly that can’t be ruled out if the Raiders and Broncos have gone on the road and beat Dallas — then it will seem like a crisis point for the Cowboys. Even winning the NFC East won’t be a lock at that point, with Washington coming into this week trailing by just two games.

The Cowboys are getting healthier. Ezekiel Elliott wasn’t on the injury report, though we’ll see what kind of workload he’ll get. CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper should be back in the lineup after missing time. If the Cowboys’ recent struggles were due to injury, we should find out. However, another obstacle was thrown at them when coach Mike McCarthy was left home for the game due to COVID-19.

The Saints have their own issues. They have been mostly bad on offense since losing Jameis Winston to a torn ACL. Taysom Hill is expected to finally take over for Trevor Siemian at quarterback this week. Alvin Kamara’s status is up in the air after he has missed time. The Saints are 5-6 and still in the NFC wild-card race, but they have to put an end to a four-game losing streak soon to feel like they can get a postseason berth. An ugly Thanksgiving loss to the Buffalo Bills was another step backward.

Both teams have urgency. It’s worth a shot on the underdog to see if the home crowd, Hill playing quarterback and the Cowboys’ issues result in a close game. One of these teams is going to feel like it’s in real trouble after a loss on Thursday.

Here's the first look at the sports betting slate for Thursday:

What props are looking good for TNF?

Oddsmakers are daring you to take the Ezekiel Elliott over rushing yards prop. His rushing yardage total is 46.5, which is about as low as you’ll find for Elliott. He has been injured and the Cowboys used Tony Pollard a lot on Thanksgiving. Despite Elliott being off the injury report, it’s hard to imagine he’s fully healthy. Also, the Saints have a good defense. Take the under, even if it’s so enticing to take the over with such a small number.

No. 1 receivers have had quiet days this season against the Saints and their No. 1 cornerback Marshon Lattimore. CeeDee Lamb’s receiving yardage total is 64.5 and I’ll take the under on that too as he returns from a concussion.

What’s on the NBA schedule?

The Chicago Bulls-New York Knicks game is a highlight of a relatively light five-game slate. The Bulls could be this season’s dormant historic franchise that has a resurgent march to the playoffs, a role the Knicks played last season. The Bulls are 2.5-point road favorites.

The other notable game is the Detroit Pistons at the Phoenix Suns. That game shouldn’t be all too entertaining, but the Suns will be going for their 18th win in a row coming off Tuesday’s victory against the Golden State Warriors. The Suns are 12.5-point favorites.

What else is on the schedule?

It’s a fairly quiet day. The only top 25 college basketball team in action is No. 11 Arizona hosting Washington in an early Pac-12 game. There are 10 NHL games (the St. Louis Blues at the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are -145 favorites, could be the best of the lot) and a couple afternoon English Premier League games as well.

What’s the best bet?

I’ll go with the Knicks as a home underdog in what should be an entertaining NBA game, though most televisions will be tuned into the NFL game in New Orleans.