NFL Divisional Round: Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers Betting Preview
NFL Divisional Round: Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers Betting Preview
The NFL Divisional Round culminates with an NFC showdown Sunday night as the Dallas Cowboys (13-5) square off with the San Francisco 49ers (14-4). The 49ers will host this one at Levi’s Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 pm ET.
Dallas cruised to a Wild Card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, 31-14. In the victory, Dak Prescott threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns. Dalton Schultz had two of those touchdown receptions to go along with his 95 yards receiving.
As for the 49ers, they were equally as dominant last week as they took down the Seattle Seahawks 41-23. Brock Purdy continued his sensational play as he threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns.
The 49ers are the favorites in this one playing at home. They are -205 to win, while the Cowboys’ moneyline sits at +172. The spread features Dallas as 3.5-point underdogs, and the over/under for total points is 46.5.
Cowboys Look For Solid Road Play
While the Cowboys finished 8-1 at home during the regular season, they were average at best on the road with a 4-4 record. They were able to improve that road play last week with their big win in Tampa Bay, and they will need to continue it as they move to the west coast to take on the 49ers.
Dallas has the fourth-best offense in the NFL, averaging 27.7 points per game (25.3 on the road). A large part of that was due to Dak Prescott and a solid run game.
For Prescott, he finished the regular season throwing for 2,860 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions in 12 games.
In terms of the run game, Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott make up one of the toughest tandems in the league. Pollard has rushed for 1,007 yards and nine touchdowns. He also has 39 receptions for 371 yards and another three scores.
As for Elliott, he has rushed for 876 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season.
The Cowboys’ defense ranks fifth in the NFL, allowing an average of 19.8 points per game.
49ers Look To Keep Winning
Counting last weekend’s playoff game, the San Francisco 49ers have now won 11 straight games. Trying to keep that streak going, they will enjoy the comforts of home at Levi’s Stadium, where they are 8-1 on the year.
The 49ers boast the best defense in the NFL. In terms of scoring defense, they rank tops overall, allowing just 16.7 points per game (15.6 at home). Leading the defense are Fred Warner (130 tackles), Nick Bosa (18.5 sacks), and Tashaun Gipson Sr (five interceptions.
On offense, the 49ers continue to lean on Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy, their third-string quarterback and the last person to be selected in the draft, to lead their offense. In nine games during the regular season, he threw for 1,374 yards, 13 touchdowns, and four interceptions.
Christian McCaffrey has also dominated since being acquired midseason. In 11 games with San Francisco, he has rushed for 746 yards and six touchdowns.
Take Dallas And The Points
While both teams have shown flashes of dominance this season, both teams have some concerns as well.
For the Cowboys, their offensive line has struggled at times, and against the 49ers top-ranked defense, that could be problematic for Dak Prescott. Furthermore, in what could be a closely contested game, will kicker Brett Maher be able to bounce back from his yips from last week?
As for the 49ers, Brock Purdy has done everything that has been asked of him and more by San Francisco, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t susceptible to some rookie mistakes. In a primetime playoff matchup Sunday night, any mistake may be magnified as they face a tough Cowboys defense.
The total of 46.5 points is the lowest of any of the four games this weekend. With scoring potentially at a premium, expect this game to be a defensive battle throughout.
For that reason, the best betting route might be to take the points. In this case, that means taking Dallas and the 3.5 points (-106).
