Who: Dallas Cowboys at Tennessee Titans

When: Thursday, December 29, 2022, 8:15pm ET

Where: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN

Spread: Cowboys -13

Moneyline: Cowboys -700, Titans, +500

Total: 40 o/u

In the final Thursday night matchup of the season, the Dallas Cowboys (11-4), fresh off their win against the NFC East-leading Eagles, travel to Nashville to take on the reeling Tennessee Titans (7-8).

It was only a few weeks ago that the Titans were cruising to another division title until they lost QB Ryan Tannehill for the season and found themselves amid a five-game losing streak. Now, the Titans are on the outside looking in and must defeat the rival Jaguars in Week 18 if they wish to clinch a postseason berth. The final AFC Wild Card spot is out of their reach, so this game does not affect their season’s outcome. All the Titans need to do is beat Jacksonville next Sunday, and they will once again be AFC South division champions. 

That being said, there is good reason to deduce the Titans are looking forward to next week’s winner-take-all-showdown. Top RB Derrick Henry is listed as doubtful for tonight, and a slew of other Titans’ starters have already been ruled out, including DT Jeffery Simmons, S Amani Hooker, LB Bud Dupree, and LB Zach Cunningham. Don’t be surprised if other key players are ruled out before kickoff. 

On the other hand, the Cowboys have an outside shot of winning the division if they can win their next two games and if the Eagles lose their final two. It’s a long shot, but Dallas at least has something to play for, especially in the event Philadelphia QB Jalen Hurts and RT Lane Johnson remain out for the final two contests.

The spread opened at -9.5 for Dallas but quickly blossomed to -13 as news continues to break, declaring more Titans will be out for this matchup. The total currently sits at a low 40 o/u as many anticipate Tennessee will struggle to score with a rookie QB and a backup RB. It may be a high double-digit number, but I will side with the Cowboys in this one. Dallas would love nothing more than to steal the division title away from the Eagles and could very well do that if the Eagles struggle without Hurts. The Titans, conversely, will be resting their stars for next week’s matchup against the Jaguars, and there is reason to believe they won’t be showcasing their best plays for Jacksonville to study on tape. 

As with all Thursday night games, I will also side with the Under. It’s hard to imagine the Titans finding the endzone in this contest, and Dallas may not even have to play their starters following halftime.

Pick: Cowboys -13

Under 40