Saints (+6) over Cowboys
Both teams did not have the best Thanksgiving Day games last week. Embattled by injuries, the Cowboys dropped a 36-33 contest at home in OT to the Raiders while the Saints showed almost no fight in their 31-6 drubbing courtesy of the Bills. In fairness, Dallas was without its top 2 receivers – CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper – while New Orleans was missing its top playmaker in Alvin Kamara and backup RB Mark Ingram. This is to go along with already losing QB Jameis Winston for the year and WR Michael Thomas, who has yet to make his 2021 debut.
For the Cowboys, Lamb and Cooper should return on Thursday. However, Dallas will be missing several members of its coaching staff due to a COVID-19 outbreak, including head coach Mike McCarthy. It is still undecided if defensive coordinator Dan Quinn or special teams coordinator John Fassel will lead the team in the interim. Still, the offense should receive an upgrade with their top receivers back in the lineup.
For the Saints, both Kamara and Ingram returned to practice on Monday and, but only Ingram will be ready for Thursday night’s match.
Dallas is the superior team on offense. However with Ingram in the backfield and QB Taysom Hill under center, they should make the necessary plays New Orleans needs to stay in reach. This also should alleviate pressure for the Saints now that they have a ground game to fall back on for insurance. While I think Dallas wins outright, this game could potentially come down to whichever team has the ball last. In that case, I am going to take the points with the home team.
