Cardinals vs. Cowboys Week 17 Picks: Take Dallas To Cover At Home

The Cardinals’ slide continues, and they’ll be hoping to snap a three-game losing streak when they go into Dallas in Week 17. Find out who we like with our Cardinals-Cowboys picks.

The Arizona Cardinals were the consensus top team in the NFL with a 7-0 start, but a combination of injuries to starting quarterback Kyler Murray, top wideout DeAndre Hopkins, and lazy defense led them into a skid. Arizona is now winless in three straight games and is 3-5 against the spread since its 7-0 start.

The Dallas Cowboys continue to turn heads. They’ve won and covered in four straight games and have locked up the NFC East with an 11-4 record. There’s still work to be done if they want the top seed in the NFC, and covering won’t be easy as a six-point favorite against 10-5 Arizona.

Here are my picks and predictions for the NFL Week 17 matchup between the Cardinals and the Cowboys (odds via FanDuel and DraftKings; pick confidence based on a one-to-five-star scale).

Cardinals vs. Cowboys Week 17 Game Info

Date/Time: Sunday, Jan. 2, 4:25 p.m. ETTV: FOXLocation: AT&T Stadium, Dallas, TXWeather: Indoors

Cardinals vs. Cowboys Odds Analysis

Dallas opened up as a 3-point favorite in this one before the money came in on the Cowboys and pushed the spread to six or 6.5 points depending on the sportsbook. The public is moving hard against the Cardinals after their loss against the Indianapolis Colts and the Cowboys blowout of the Washington Football Team.

The total opened at 50.5 points, and it’s up to 51.5 points at most books with some even hanging 52 points. 90% of the tickets but only 52% of the money is on the Over, indicating there is some serious sharp action on the Under.

Cardinals vs. Cowboys Picks

Cowboys -6 (-105) ???Under 52 (-110) ???

SEE ALSO: Top Expert NFL Prop Picks for Week 17

Cardinals vs. Cowboys Predictions

Cowboys -6 (-105 via FanDuel)

By now, you should know better than to fade the Cowboys’ defense. They’re first in weighted DVOA and first against the pass. This team has allowed just 20.5 points per game and 109.5 yards on the ground on average. Though the analytics stats don’t back the Cowboys being an elite team against the rush, the results have been there and they can certainly rest on their secondary to get the job done against Kyler Murray.

The Cardinals do like to run the ball, ranking ninth in rush play rate, but they’ve been having a hard time lately. There were some great games on the ground early on, like a 216-yard performance in Los Angeles against the Rams, but in the last six games, Arizona has averaged just 106.3 yards. That checks in significantly below its season average and leads me to seriously doubt this offense against Dallas.

On the other hand, the Cardinals have crumbled on defense lately with three 30-point games in the last six and back-to-back 126-yard games on the ground. We know Dallas is a strong team on the ground, averaging 4.5 yards per carry, and I just don’t see a way Arizona can keep up in the scoring department.

Under 52 (-110 via DraftKings)

I know we all want this game to turn into a shootout, but I’m really terrified of this Arizona offense. The Cardinals have been held to 16 or fewer points in three of their last six and on average have scored 19.5 points over that span. Dallas is absolutely sensational against the pass. They should make life very difficult on the Cardinals if they take an early lead in this one as expected.

The Cowboys have had seven of their last nine games go Under the total, and that’s because they play elite defense and run the ball down the opposition’s throat. While this team does play fast, they’re taking over 28 seconds per play when they’re leading by more than a touchdown which is around league average.

If we’re to believe this spread, Dallas will likely slow things down and attack this soft Cardinals rushing defense for most of the second half.

SEE ALSO: All picks and odds. Be sure to check out SportsbookReview.com’s community forums and betting tools.

Cardinals-Cowboys picks made on 12/30/2021 at 9:22 p.m. ET.