New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys will open the action in the NFL 2021 season Week 13 on Thursday evening. The hosts cannot be happy with their recent performances, and they are falling out of the post-season spot race. The away side also suffered a couple of defeats, but they want to get back on the winning track.
New Orleans entered a very poor streak, losing four times in a row. The home side has its issues to solve, but they won’t give up in the playoffs race. On the other hand, Dallas has been very good this season, but their form has declined lately. Nevertheless, they search for a victory to keep them in the division’s top spot.
New Orleans Saints – Can they end their losing streak?
Just a month ago, the Saints looked pretty confident, and they were among the candidates for the playoffs ticket. However, their four-game losing streak held them in 2nd place in the NFC South with a 5-6 record, being two wins behind the Buccaneers. Their troubles began after Jameis Winston got injured, while their defense has allowed too many points. The Saints go to this match after losing 31-6 to the Bills at home and gaining only 190 yards in the offense.
Jameis Winston has passed for 1,170 yards this season on seven appearances, with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions. Alvin Kamara leads the rushing corps with 530 yards and three scores, while Mark Ingram II rushed for 205 yards and a TD. Jameis Winston, Tony Jones Jr., and Taysom Hill are the other three players with 100+ rushing yards. Deonte Harris is New Orleans’s best receiver with 427 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Marquez Callaway and Alvin Kamara have combined for 706 receiving yards and ten TDs. On defense, Demario Davis has 76 total tackles, while Marcus Davenport logged 5.5 sacks.
Expected Line-Up (Offense): Tony Jones Jr., Marquez Callaway, Tre’Quan Smith, Deonte Harris, Nick Vannett, Alex Armah, James Hurst, Calvin Throckmorton, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz, Jordan Mills
Expected Line-Up (Defense): Cameron Jordan, Shy Tuttle, David Onyemata, Christian Ringo, Kwon Alexander, Demario Davis, Zack Baun, Bradley Roby, Malkolm Jenkins, Marcus Williams, Marshon Lattimore
Quarter Back: Taysom Hill
Kicker: Brett Maher
with best odds
Dallas Cowboys – Will the visitors bounce back?
Dallas has enjoyed a pretty successful campaign so far, but their form has been unstable lately. The Cowboys lost three times on the previous four occasions, but still, they hold the top spot in the NFC East. They come from a frustrating loss against the Raiders at home and after overtime. Although they gained 437 yards in the offense, they allowed 509 yards to Las Vegas. Dak Prescott passed for 375 yards on 32-47, with a pair of touchdowns.
The Cowboys starting quarterback Dak Prescott has thrown for 2,932 yards with 22 touchdowns and seven picks, while he was sacked 17 times. Ezekiel Elliott has been the leading rusher for the away side with 720 yards and eight TDs, while Tony Pollard gained 531 rushing yards and a score. CeeDee Lamb leads the receiving department with 740 yards and six touchdown receptions, while Amari Cooper and Dalton Schultz have generated 500+ receiving yards each. On the other hand, Jayron Kearse leads the defense with 76 total tackles, while Micah Parsons has sacked the opponent QBs nine times.
Expected Line-Up (Offense): Ezekiel Elliott, Simi Fehoko, Noah Brown, Michael Gallup, Dalton Schultz, Ty Nsekhe, Tyron Smith, Connor McGovern, Tyler Biadasz, Zack Martin, La’el Collins
Expected Line-Up (Defense): Azur Kamara, Osa Odighizuwa, Carlos Watkins, Dorance Armstrong, Leighton Vander Esch, Keanu Neal, Micah Parsons, Anthony Brown, Jayron Kearse, Damontae Kazee, Trevon Diggs
Quarter Back: Dak Prescott
Kicker: Greg Zuerlein
Expert Pick #1 – Dallas Cowboys -4.5 @-110
Although the visitors haven’t been too consistent lately, I see them as strong favorites in this match. The Saint was far from impressive in the past weeks, and the Cowboys should show their potential here. I’ll back Dallas ATS as my first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Over 47 @-110
New Orleans has been involved in many high-scoring games lately, as four of their last five games went over the margin. Since the Cowboys’ defense has had some issues recently, I believe this game could go over 47 points as well. That’s going to be my second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Cowboys Over 26.5 @-120
Led by Dak Prescott, the Cowboys have been one of the best offensive teams in the NFL 2021 so far. I expect them to continue with good displays in the final third, and Dallas should score more than 26 points in this match. The odds are a bit lower compared to the first two picks, but still worth trying.
