Thursday, December 1, 2016

TCF Bank Stadium

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The Dallas Cowboys take on the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday, December 1, 2016 at TCF Bank Stadium. The opening line for this game has Dallas as 2.5 point favorites and the over/under was set at 43.5. The Cowboys are 9-2-0 against the spread and their over/under record is 5-6-0. The Vikings have an over/under record of 4-7-0 and they are 6-5-0 against the spread.

Dak Prescott finished with 195 yards through the air for Dallas last week. He completed 17 passes out of 24 attempts for a 71% completion percentage. The Cowboys were led in rushing by Ezekiel Elliott, who finished with 97 yards on 20 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 5 yards per carry. Dez Bryant was the team leader in receiving with a total of 72 yards and 5 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 14 yards per reception. As a team in that game Dallas got a total of 24 first downs. Of those first downs, 12 came on the ground while 11 came through the air. They ran 55 total plays for 353 yards for the game. The Cowboys ran for 163 yards on 30 attempts.

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Sam Bradford finished with 224 yards passing for Minnesota last week. He went 31 for 37, resulting in a 84% completion percentage. The Vikings were led on the ground by Jerick McKinnon, who finished with 31 yards on 9 carries. He ended the game with an average of 3 yards per rush. Kyle Rudolph led the team in receiving with 64 yards and 9 catches. He finished the game with an average of 7 yards per reception. Minnesota had 17 first downs total. 7 came from running the ball and 8 came from a pass. They ran 53 total plays for 306 yards for the contest. The Vikings ran for 82 yards on 16 carries as a team.

Dallas scores 29 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 3rd in the NFL. In the passing department, they average 21 passes on 31 attempts for a 68% completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 250 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 16th in the league. The Cowboys run for an average of 157 yards per game on 33 attempts for an average of 4.8 yards per carry. That ranks them 1st in the league. They also run 65 plays per contest and average 6.3 yards per play for an average of 408 yards per game, ranking their offense 4th overall this season. The Cowboys average 25 first downs per game which ranks them 2nd in the NFL. They accumulate 52.2 penalty yards per game via 6.3 penalties, which ranks 17th in the league.

Dallas allows 280 passing yards per game, ranking 31st, and they allow 19 points per contest on defense, which ranks 6th. They give up 28 completions on 39 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 72%. The Cowboys allow 82 rushing yards per game on 20 carries for an average of 4.1 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 3rd in the NFL. Dallas allows 362 total yards per game including 5.9 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 20th in terms of yards per game. They get flagged for 5.7 penalties for 47.2 yards per game, ranking them 3rd among NFL teams.

Minnesota averages 20 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 25th in the league. In the passing department, they complete 24 passes per game on 35 attempts for a 69% completion percentage. They throw for 224 yards through the air per game, ranking them 24th. The Vikings run for an average of 71 yards per game on 25 attempts for an average of 2.8 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 32nd on the ground. They also run 62 plays per game and average 4.8 yards per play for a total of 295 yards per game, ranking them 32nd in the league on offense. The Vikings get an average of 18 first downs per game, which ranks 31st. They average 56.4 penalty yards per game via 6.5 penalties, ranking them 27th in the NFL.

Minnesota allows an average of 207 passing yards per game, which ranks 4th in the league. Their defense overall allows 17 points per contest, which has them ranked 2nd. They give up 21 completions on 37 attempts for a completion percentage of 57% per game. The Vikings allow 100 rushing yards per contest on 24 carries for a 4.2 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 14th in the NFL. Minnesota allows 307 total yards per game for an average of 4.9 yards per play, which ranks 3rd in the league. They force 5.5 penalties for 46.2 yards in each contest, ranking 2nd.

Dallas Betting Trends

Dallas is 5-6-0 against the over/under this season

Dallas has an ATS record of 9-2-0 this season

Minnesota Betting Trends

Minnesota is 4-7-0 against the over/under this season

Minnesota has an ATS record of 6-5-0 this season

Injuries to Watch

Dallas

11/27/16 OL Chaz Green Foot "?" Thursday vs. Minnesota
11/27/16 LB Rolando McClain Suspension Served "?" Thursday vs. Minnesota
11/27/16 LB Justin Durant Hamstring injured last game, "?" Thursday vs. Minnesota
11/23/16 TE James Hanna Knee out for season
11/16/16 TE Geoff Swaim Pectoral out indefinitely
11/01/16 CB Morris Claiborne Groin out indefinitely
10/31/16 S Barry Church Arm expected to miss 3-5 weeks
09/28/16 DE Charles Tapper Back IR
09/27/16 OL La'el Collins Toe IR
09/20/16 DE Randy Gregory Suspension out for season
09/09/16 RB Darren McFadden Elbow PUP
08/31/16 LB Jaylon Smith Knee PUP
08/02/16 Backup QB Kellen Moore Fibula IR

Minnesota

11/27/16 G Jeremiah Sirles Hip injured last game, "?" Thursday vs. Dallas
11/27/16 G Joe Berger Concussion injured last game, "?" Thursday vs. Dallas
11/27/16 TE Kyle Rudolph Shoulder injured last game, "?" Thursday vs. Dallas
11/27/16 CB Terence Newman Neck "?" Thursday vs. Dallas
11/27/16 CB Marcus Sherels Ankle "?" Thursday vs. Dallas
11/27/16 WR Stefon Diggs Knee "?" Thursday vs. Dallas
11/16/16 T Jake Long Achilles IR
10/11/16 OT Andre Smith Elbow IR
09/23/16 DT Sharrif Floyd Knee out indefinitely
09/21/16 T Matt Kalil Hip IR
09/19/16 RB Adrian Peterson Knee IR
08/31/16 T Mike Harris Undisclosed PUP
08/30/16 QB Teddy Bridgewater Knee IR
08/11/16 QB Taylor Heinicke Foot out indefinitely

Tony's Pick: Take Dallas -2.5

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