New Orleans Saints vs. Dallas Cowboys Odds, Analysis, NFL Betting Pick

The New Orleans Saints (10-1) will look to win their 11th straight game when they visit the Dallas Cowboys (6-5) as solid road favorites at sportsbooks for the Week 13 Thursday night game. Even more impressive has been New Orleans covering the spread nine consecutive times, according to the OddsShark NFL Database.

NFL point spread: The Saints opened as seven-point favorites; the total was 51.5 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NFL betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 31.1-19.0 Saints (NFL picks on every game)

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Why the Saints can cover the spread

The Saints have won nine of the past 11 meetings with the Cowboys straight up, dating back to 1998, going 8-3 against the spread in those games. They are playing better than any team in the league right now on both sides of the ball following a 31-17 home win over the Atlanta Falcons on Thanksgiving night, covering as 12.5-point home favorites.

New Orleans also owns the No. 1 run defense in the NFL, giving up just 73.2 yards per game, so Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott could be neutralized here.

Why the Cowboys can cover the spread

The Cowboys routed the Saints 38-17 as three-point home underdogs in the last meeting at AT&T Stadium four seasons ago, and they also ended their opponent's run at perfection back in 2009 with a 24-17 victory as seven-point road dogs.

New Orleans was 13-0 and went on to win the Super Bowl that year but stumbled for the first time to Dallas in prime time en route to losing three straight to close out the regular season. The Cowboys have also rallied to win three straight games to put themselves into a tie for first place in the NFC East, which means they have a lot to play for in this matchup.

Smart betting pick

Dallas has come through when needed to make things interesting in the NFC East and might have the best shot to win the division right now. The Cowboys cannot afford to lose in this spot with the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Washington Redskins on Monday night, as a loss by them and a win by the Eagles would put all three teams atop the NFC East.

Meanwhile, the Saints just keep marching on with their eyes on the top seed in the conference and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The difference is that New Orleans is the real deal as a legitimate Super Bowl contender and Dallas is still more of a pretender. Keep riding the Saints to continue their winning streaks both SU and ATS versus the Cowboys.

NFL betting trends

The Saints are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games vs. the Cowboys.

The total has gone over in four of the Saints' last five games vs. the Cowboys.

The Saints are 14-3 ATS in their last 17 games on the road vs. teams with winning records.

All NFL odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.