The Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders are both hanging around in their respective playoff pictures, but are on the outside looking in. They will each need to be impressive down the stretch in order to have a chance at the postseason, and the loser of their Week 15 matchup will find it nearly impossible to reach the postseason after each did so a year ago.
The Cowboys are on the road for this affair but have looked impressive of late and will be slight favorites. The Raiders have experienced a rocky season after entering the year as darkhorse contenders, and will need to pull the upset in order to stay in the race both for a wild card berth and the AFC West title.
Watch this regular season Week 15 matchup live on Sunday, December 17, 2017, at 8:30 p.m. ET at Oakland Alameda Coliseum.
Opening NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Dallas Cowboys -3
Oakland Raiders +3
Over/Under 45.5
Odds Analysis
The Cowboys are field goal favorites, and the betting public agrees that they are likely to come away with this victory as more than 71 percent of the action is taking Dallas to cover the spread.
The scoring total is higher than most games as both teams have some playmakers on offense and solid quarterbacks, while the defenses have sometimes been shaky. The “over” is the much more popular choice, as nearly 80 percent of the money has pegged this game to go past the projected total.
The Raiders are listed at +140 on the moneyline, which has been an intriguing line with 80 percent of the action on them to pull the upset. The Cowboys would pay out at -160 on the moneyline with a victory.
Injury Report
Amari Cooper — The Oakland wide receiver gave it a go last week against the Chiefs but aggravated an ankle injury early in the contest. He didn’t practice on Thursday and his availability for this game seems in doubt. Keep a close eye on the injury as Cooper is one of the team’s most dynamic playmakers even though he is having a down year.
Sean Lee — The Cowboys linebacker is dealing with a hamstring injury, but he was able to return to the lineup last week against the Giants and finished with a whopping 18 tackles. Lee also had an interception in that game and is a key figure for the Dallas defense. He was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday but figures to be ready to go.
Jared Cook — The Raiders’ tight end has been dealing with a wrist injury of late and was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday. He had a pair of poor outings recently but looked good last time out against the Chiefs, hauling in six passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. He is a big part of the offense and seems to be past the point where the wrist is hampering his play.
Matchup To Watch
Cowboys offense vs. Raiders’ defense —Dallas had a couple of clunkers a few weeks ago when left tackle Tyron Smith was ailing and running back Ezekiel Elliott was beginning his six-game suspension. Smith has since returned, and while Elliott is still out, the Cowboys have figured out a way to make up for his absence.
Alfred Morris has been solid in his stead and the Cowboys have averaged 34 points the past two weeks after scoring just 22 in the previous three games combined. A two-game winning streak has put them back into the postseason race but the offense must keep it going.
The Raiders’ defense is ripe to be picked on, as it has given up 23.4 points and 362 yards of offense this season. Oakland will need to tighten up to have a shot at the upset.
Free ATS Pick
The Raiders are at home but the Cowboys are in a groove and are the better team. Dallas is closer to its 2016 version than Oakland is to its former self. Take the Cowboys to win this game and also cover the spread.
Dallas will be the one leaving this game with its postseason hopes still alive. The “over” is the easy call on the scoring total.
NFL Odds: Cowboys 27, Raiders 23
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