Simulation Picks
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Expert Picks
The wrong team is favored this afternoon. Aaron Rodgers should carve up this weak Cowboys secondary, making it difficult for the Dallas offense to keep pace. Take the points with the Packers.
The injury news is much better for the Packers than the Cowboys. I'm taking the field goal and expecting Dallas to fall to 1-8 ATS in its last nine games versus winning teams.
The Cowboys seems to be stuck in a play-calling dilemma as they try to reconfigure what worked last season and is not working now. Thais bodes to the strength of the veterans on the Packers, as the sideline experience coaching-wise.
Just about every projection I see for this matchup has a score in the stratosphere. History plays a part, with QB Aaron Rodgers periodically eating up Dallas, and their playoff hookup in January resulted in 65 points. However, I cannot get past the above-average defenses on both sides. Dallas yields five yards per play, tied for ninth fewest, and the Pack is at 5.2, tied at 13. Green Bay is sixth-best on yards permitted per game at a fraction under 300. Dallas likely will pound RB Ezekiel Elliott to keep A-Rod off the field as much as possible.
There's a lot to keep your eye on in this matchup between two of the NFC’s best. The first thing is the Packers' receiving corps versus the Cowboys' secondary. The Packers go five-deep on the outside and will challenge Dallas' depth there. Look for Aaron Rodgers to throw at least 35 times. Green Bay is down to one fully healthy running back, rookie Aaron Jones. The Cowboys hope to have LB Sean Lee back from a hamstring strain but even if he doesn't play, they should be able to stifle the Packers' ground game. Offensively, this is the matchup Dallas has wanted all year long. With the court ruling coming soon, we should see the same Ezekiel Elliott we saw last season. I expect Dallas to run with great success. Dak Prescott is playing as well as he did as a rookie, with the same poise and ball security. He's been Dallas' most consistent offensive player. Look for the Cowboys to take care of unfinished business from last year's home playoff loss.