Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings Betting Odds, Analysis, NFL Pick

The Dallas Cowboys will be aiming to extend their franchise-record straight-up win streak to 11 games when they battle the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Cowboys lifted their record to 10-1 with last week's 31-26 win over the Washington Redskins. However, Dallas narrowly failed to cover as 5.5-point home chalk, suffering its first against-the-spread loss this season after going 9-0-1 ATS through its first 10 games.

The Vikings fell out of the NFC playoff picture with last week's 16-13 loss to the division-rival Detroit Lions as two-point road underdogs. Minnesota has now lost five of six SU overall but remains a strong home wager at 4-1 SU and ATS this season and 7-1 ATS dating back to last season at its own stadium.

Point spread: The Cowboys opened as 2.5-point favorites; the total was 43.5 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NFL pick, via Odds Shark computer: 28.8-18.7 Cowboys (NFL picks on every game)

Why the Cowboys can cover the spread

The Cowboys, sitting in the top two on the Super Bowl 51 odds, ride a perfect 5-0 SU and ATS road record into Thursday night's date with Minnesota. Dallas has also been a reliable bet when pegged as road chalk of three or more points, going 5-0 SU and covering in its past three.

The Dallas defense has stood tall on the road since late last season, holding opponents to 17 or fewer points in seven of their past nine games away from AT&T Stadium.

The Cowboys ground game has been a key to their success, racking up 163 or more yards in three of their past five games. Dallas now ranks second in the NFL in rushing with 157.3 yards per game along with 19 touchdown runs on the season.

Why the Vikings can cover the spread

The Vikings have maintained one of the league's top defenses, surrendering just 21.5 points per game during its current 1-5 SU slide and 311 or fewer total yards in three of its past four games.

Minnesota has consistently won as a home team over the past three years, going 19-7 SU over its past 26 outings. The Vikings have also paid dividends as home underdogs, going 11-3 ATS in their last 14 such games but just 2-4 SU in their past six.

The Vikings face a Cowboys squad that has struggled at the sportsbooks in recent Thursday night contests, going 1-6 ATS in its past seven.

Smart pick

The home team has held the edge in recent meetings between these clubs, going 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS in the past five matchups. And the point total has finished under in six of of their last eight meetings, a trend that likely favors the defensive-minded Vikings.

Look for the Cowboys to claim the SU win Thursday night but fail to cover on the NFL lines in a low-scoring contest.

Betting trends

The Cowboys are 2-7 SU and 1-8 ATS in their last nine games against the Vikings.

The total has gone under in six of the Cowboys' last eight games against the Vikings.

The total has gone under in seven of the Vikings' last 10 games.

All NFL lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the Odds Shark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.