Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants Odds, Analysis, NFL Betting Pick

The Dallas Cowboys are 1-3 both straight up and against the spread since losing Ezekiel Elliott to suspension, but that one win kept them alive in the NFC playoff race.

Can Dallas avoid the upset bid of a disjointed New York Giants team Sunday afternoon in New Jersey?

NFL point spread: The Cowboys opened as 6.5-point favorites; the total was 41 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NFL betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 24.9-16.8 Cowboys (NFL picks on every game)

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Why the Cowboys can cover the spread

The Cowboys are coming off their best performance since the loss of their offensive spark plug Elliott, a 38-14 thrashing of Washington last Thursday night.

Dallas used an 83-yard punt return for a score by Ryan Switzer to go ahead 17-0 in the second quarter and tacked on a couple of late touchdowns to secure the outright victory as two-point underdogs.

The Cowboys outrushed the Redskins 182-56, as Alfred Morris popped off for 127 and a touchdown. Dallas also won the turnover battle 4-0, resulting in a plus-13 point differential.

At 6-6 overall, the Cowboys aren't quite dead yet in the NFC playoff race, trailing 8-4 Carolina by two games for the second wild-card spot.

Why the Giants can cover the spread

The Giants are a difficult case to make right now, especially with all the recent turmoil. Last week, with Geno Smith starting in place of Eli Manning at quarterback, New York lost at Oakland 24-17. The Giants did, however, cover the spread as inflated 10-point dogs.

New York actually only trailed last week 17-14 well into the fourth quarter before the Raiders basically iced the game on a touchdown with three minutes to go. But the Giants added a long field goal with a minute left for the cash.

New York had chances to put more points on the board, but Smith fumbled the ball away twice in field goal range, once from the Oakland 4-yard line. Following the defeat, the Giants canned their head coach and gave word Manning will start Sunday.

At 2-10 overall, New York is playing out the string on a lost season. But that doesn't mean the Giants wouldn't love to dump on Dallas this week.

Smart pick

Neither of these teams inspires much betting confidence at the moment. However, in the spirit of rallying around its venerable quarterback, smart money may give the nod to New York here.

NFL betting trends

The total has gone over in 12 of the Cowboys' last 17 games against the Giants.

The Giants are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games after an ATS win.

The Cowboys are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games after a win.

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