Lines, Odds, Picks and Preview |
The NFL postseason is already underway in the NFC East as the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants play an elimination game on New Year’s Day at MetLife Stadium to determine this season’s division champion. Sunday night’s game is set to kick-off at 8:20 p.m. (ET) and it will be broadcast nationally on NBC.
At the end of November, Dallas was 7-4 and firmly in the driver seat to win the East but another December collapse has left it 8-7 straight-up and one more loss away from missing the playoffs for the second straight year. The Cowboys are a costly 5-9-1 against the spread and the total has stayed ‘under’ in nine of their 15 games.
If they are going to have any chance to win this game, the Cowboys will need a huge effort from Tony Romo, who sat out the majority of last Sunday’s 20-7 loss to Philadelphia with a bruised hand. In a second-half of a season filled with inconsistent play in every phase of the game, Romo has still played surprisingly well.
New York is coming-off an impressive 29-14 victory over the Jets as a three-point underdog in last Sunday’s city championship. It is also 8-7 SU and struggling with consistency with a 2-5 record in its last seven games. Overall, the Giants are 7-7-1 ATS and the total has gone 8-6-1 in their 15 games.
Much like Dallas, this team’s chances in this game fall squarely on the shoulders of its quarterback Eli Manning. He did just enough to win last week with a couple of big plays, but overall Manning’s numbers in the second-half of the season have been less than stellar to say the least. He has completed less than 58 percent of his passes in six of his last eight games with just 13 touchdown throws and 11 interceptions.
The Cowboys are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games as underdogs, but 0-5 ATS in their last five games against the NFC East. The total has stayed ‘under’ in four of their last five games on the road.
The Giants are 0-4-1 ATS in their last five games as favorites and 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against the NFC East. The total has gone ‘over’ in eight of their last 10 games against a team with a winning record.
The underdog is 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings and the total has gone ‘over’ in all five games. Dallas is 1-4 both SU and ATS in the last five meetings including a 37-34 loss on Dec.11 as a 4.5-point home favorite.
Look for Manning to find his form and outplay Romo in another defining game for both quarterbacks. This time it will not even be close as the Giants roll at home.
The Pick: New York 34 Dallas 23
