The Dallas Cowboys will look to continue their dominance over the NFC East when they face the New York Giants Sunday at the Meadowlands. The top spot in the NFC is still in play for Dak Prescott and the Cowboys while the home team could turn to third-string quarterback Jake Fromm as Mike Glennon, to no one’s surprise, has failed to impress.
Can the confident Dallas defense dominate a struggling New York offense? Can the Giants find an ounce of competitiveness down the stretch or are they just going through the motions at this point? Find out in our free picks, predictions and NFL odds for Cowboys vs. Giants.
Cowboys vs Giants odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Dallas was -10 on the look-ahead and opened at -11.5 before settling back down on -10.5. The total sits at 44.5 after opening at 45. The Cowboys were 7.5-point favorites at home versus the Giants in Week 5 in a 44-20 win that had a total of 53.5 points.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full NFL odds before placing your bets.
Cowboys vs Giants predictions
Predictions made on 12/15/2021 at 12:05 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Cowboys vs Giants game info
• Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
• Date: Sunday, December 19, 2021
• Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
• TV: FOX
Cowboys at Giants betting preview
Weather
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Key injuries
Cowboys: Cedrick Wilson WR (Out), Tyron Smith OL (Out), Tony Pollard RB (Probable).
Giants: Sterling Shepard WR (Questionable), Leonard Williams DT (Questionable), Ben Bredeson G (Doubtful), Daniel Jones QB (Out), Kadarius Toney WR (Out), John Ross WR (Out), Xavier McKinney S (Out), Adoree' Jackson CB (Out).
Find our latest NFL injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Cowboys are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games against the Giants. Find more NFL betting trends for Cowboys vs. Giants.
Cowboys vs Giants picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
The season can’t come to an end quickly enough for the New York Giants, who again won’t have Daniel Jones this weekend versus the Cowboys. Mike Glennon has given us unforgettable performances in back-to-back weeks and has been so bad that the Giants are apparently thinking of giving quarterback Jake Fromm his first NFL snaps. This could be disastrous against a Micah Parsons-led defense that is playing incredibly well and can create pressure and cause interceptions.
Parsons sits seventh in the league with 12.0 sacks and second in tackles for a loss with 17. The rookie has been playing so well that he is starting to gain some noise for DPOY. Complementing Parsons’ attack is Trevon Diggs, who leads the league with nine interceptions. This defense has played stellar in four of its last five games and faces a Giants team struggling to get to the finish line with perhaps the worst current QB under center for Week 15.
The Cowboys won every quarter in Week 5's 44-20 destruction of the Giants as 7-point home favorites. Glennon saw the majority of the snaps in that game in relief of Jones, finishing 16 of 25 passing for 196 yards with a TD and two picks. Receiver Kadarius Toney finished with a 10/189/0 line but will likely miss this week after landing on the COVID list.
If Fromm gets snaps, the 2020 fifth-round QB could make Glennon look like an above-replacement-level player. Taysom Hill finished with four interceptions and 19 of 41 passing at home versus the Cowboys two weeks ago. Fromm’s ceiling is at crawl-space height while his floor could be lower than our worst expectations. Fromm has only been with the organization since December 1 and has seen three preseason games with Buffalo where he went 21 for 36 passing for 262 scoreless yards while taking five sacks. He also only completed one pass longer than 20 yards.
The Dallas offense can still get better and could be playing with a short field on Sunday. Tony Pollard could be back and the loss of Cedrick Wilson (COVID) will be minimal. Tyron Smith will also be out, but the Cowboys have dealt with his absence already this season. Corey Clement could also see another sizable role after getting 13 carries for 44 yards last week.
The defense is elite and has a bully-like matchup while the offense has too many weapons for a New York defense that will also be without its best lineman in Leonard Williams.
Dak Prescott is a perfect 7-0 ATS versus the Giants in his last seven games that he’s started (and finished). He should get some great help from his defense versus a New York offense that currently has a team total of 16.5 which is lower than both the Jaguars and Texans.
Prediction: Cowboys -10.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
This 44.5 total will need heavy one-sided action to hit the Over. The Giants managed just 4.9 yards per play last week with 14 of their 21 points and 162 of their 318 total yards coming in the game’s final five minutes. Week 13’s 20-9 loss is more indicative of how this offense is operating, and with Fromm looming, scoring more than twice could be difficult for New York.
The Giants receiving corps has also been affected by QB play and with Kenny Golladay not being happy prior to Jones’ exit, it’s tough to see him get really motivated for Glennon or Fromm. All of the Giants’ Top-3 pass-catchers from last week failed to hit the Over on their receiving yards prop.
The Dallas offense is also a head-scratcher. The team is loaded with talent everywhere, but since Week 9 — Dak’s return to the lineup — the offense is averaging 355 total yards of offense compared to 455 total yards in Weeks 1 through 8. The offense was held to under 400 total yards just once in its first eight games but has failed to top that mark in four of its last six. Zeke Elliott is running on one good leg and with Pollard also banged up, the rushing game could continue to look average.
The Giants saw a similar total last week versus the Chargers and that game took two garbage-time New York TDs to hit the Over. If you’re playing this total Sunday, garbage-time points will be your biggest enemy. Some alternatives to avoid this would be a first-half Under (23) or playing the Cowboys’ team total of 28.5.
Personally, we’re staying away from this total as the New York QB usage is a question mark while this game could lack competitiveness in the fourth quarter. Both teams are missing players as COVID rears its ugly head once again and things can change quickly in the NFL landscape these days. In saying that, Glennon did show some aptitude in moving the offense versus the Chargers’ prevent defense last week while the Over has hit in five of the six meetings. It’s not a play for us but we’d be on the Over if we had to choose.
Prediction: Over 44.5 (-110)
Best bet
The Cowboys were 7.5-point home favorites in Week 5 versus Daniel Jones and a healthier New York receiving corps. Now they sit as 10.5-point road favorites against possibly the worst QB situation in the league and a New York team that's running out of focus offensively with the passing game being non-existent since Jones’ exit.
The Dallas defense is generating pressure at a Top-5 rate, which could be a disaster for Fromm and/or Glennon. Even if either QB can get the ball out before getting bricked by Parsons, avoiding an interception from Diggs seems improbable. Dallas could be working with some great field position all day and could still cover even if their offense settles for field goals in the red zone.
If you’re in the boat that home-field is not worth roughly two points this line could feel short. We’re riding a Dallas team that could dominate Sunday on both sides of the ball and had a 27-8 lead in the fourth quarter in Washington last week as a 6.5-point favorite before garbage-time TDs from Washington made it 28-20.
Pick: Cowboys -10.5 (-110)
