Pittsburgh Steelers at Dallas Cowboys Preview, NFL Betting Picks & Predictions: Favorites On Spread

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Gilbert: Pittsburgh Steelers vs Dallas Cowboys predictionsThe Pittsburgh Steelers take their undefeated record on the road to lowly Dallas Cowboys, who haven’t won since starting quarterback Dak Prescott went down in Week 5 (4:25pm ET Sunday; TV: Live on Fox).

This is a matchup of the best team in the AFC North and the worst team in the NFC East. The Steelers are looking to remain undefeated and first in the division while the Cowboys look to remain respectable. This likely won’t be the most exciting game on Sunday but that doesn’t mean we can’t profit from it. So keep reading for our full NFL game preview and Pittsburgh Steelers vs Dallas Cowboys predictions, with concluding betting picks.

Steelers Dominant Defense Versus Cowboys’ Inexperienced Quarterbacks

Dallas has been in a tough spot since losing starting quarterback Dak Prescott. He was in the MVP race until the devastating leg injury that has sidelined him for the remainder of the year. The Cowboys have averaged 7.3 points per game in the three weeks without Prescott. Their highest scoring performance came last week, as they were able to put up nine points with three field goals against the Eagles. They have yet to cover a game all season and are a historically poor 0-8 against the spread, which is the worst start since 2004. They were unable to cover against the Eagles as +10.5 point underdogs. Will they be able to cover this week against the Steelers as double-digit underdogs with the USA sports betting operators again?

This will only be the second game since 1966 that the Cowboys are double-digit home underdogs. That is an unbelievable statistic and I am not sure they will be able to cover this week either.

The Cowboys are leaning to starting Garrett Gilbert at quarterback after Ben DiNucci struggled last week against the Eagles. Gilbert last started for the Orlando Apollos in the Alliance of American Football, which was a spring football league that ultimately failed. He only has six career attempts and two career completions. This is a tough week to bring him in to take on one of the best defenses in the league.

The Steelers rank first in the NFL in average sacks per game with 4.3 and rank first overall in sacks with 30.0.  Dallas ranks 26th in the league giving up an average of 3.0 sacks per game. This is a massive upset and will likely have a huge impact on the game. I see the Steelers’ pass rush dominating a depleted Cowboys’ offensive line and an inexperienced quarterback. This should lead to numerous sacks and a couple turnovers, which will give a strong Steelers’ offense some short fields to take advantage of. I cannot see how the Cowboys weak offensive line will be able to protect their quarterback especially when he has seen barely any time on the field in the NFL and will have a difficult time making snap decisions.

The Steelers also have one of the best rushing defenses in the NFL, which will slow down Zeke. A strong rushing performance is a young quarterback’s best friend. They likely won’t be able to get the ground game going against a Steelers rush defense that gives up on average 96.9 rushing yards per game, which is good for 5th in the NFL. How will the Cowboys possibly move the ball and ultimately score? They have plenty of explosive weapons on offense but without a solid quarterback we have seem them struggle mightily. They will not be able to score nearly enough to keep up, which initially makes me think under but it is such a low number and rightfully so.

The Steelers defense ranks 6th in the NFL and only gives up on average 20.3 points per game. If the Cowboys can’t score how will they be able to keep this game remotely close? The Steelers offense has been strong and have plenty of weapons to turn this into a one sided affair. Pittsburgh ranks 5th in the NFL in average points per game with 30.1 and the Cowboys defense is the worst in the league in average points per game. On average they give up 33.2 points per game. I think this lends more to the Steelers than the full game under. I would be nervous that the Steelers run away with this and put up nearly 40 points themselves.

Our Preview’s Pittsburgh Steelers vs Dallas Cowboys Predictions & Betting Picks Advice

This NFL game preview from USAbetting is going to be rolling with the sizable road favorites. Generally I never want to lay this many points especially on the road but I am so confident in the Steelers defense to handle an inept Cowboys offense. Their lack of an offensive line or quarterback is a massive matchup problem. The Steelers defense should not allow them to score more than 13 points and their offense can roll, assuming they don’t have any silly turnovers.

I expect this to be a blowout in which the Cowboys lackluster defense can’t make a stop and their offense will struggle to point many, if any, points on the board. I see this being a comfortable 27-6 victory for the Steelers. So the recommendation as to the betting picks for our Steelers vs Dallas Cowboys Predictions, is this: