Dallas Cowboys vs Denver Broncos Prediction, 8/13/2022 NFL Picks, Best Bets & Odds Preseason Week 1

Game: Dallas Cowboys vs Denver Broncos

Date: Saturday, August 13, 2022

Location: Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, CO

TV: NFL League Pass/NFL Network

Odds/Point Spread: Broncos (-2)

Total/Over-Under: 33.5

The Denver Broncos (7-10 last year) will take on the Dallas Cowboys (12-5 last season) at Empower Field at Mile High on Saturday. Denver opens as 2-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The total is 33.5.

The Dallas Cowboys ended the year having a 12-5 record. In their last contest of last season, the Cowboys took on the 49ers and took a loss by a score of 23-17. Dak Prescott finished 23/43 with 254 yards through the air and 1 TD. He had a QB rate of 69.3 and finished the contest with 1 pick. Ezekiel Elliott was the rushing leader for the Cowboys with 12 carries for 31 yds (2.6 yds per carry). Dalton Schultz held an average of 12.7 yards per reception by totaling 89 yards on 7 receptions. The Dallas Cowboys ended up running the ball 21 different times and accrued 77 yds, which is an average of 3.7 yards per attempt. On the day, they had 70 plays which gave them a total of 307 yds. Dallas surrendered 16 completions on 25 tries for 172 yards, and a completion rate of 64.0%. Against the run, the Cowboys conceded 169 yds on 38 attempts, which calculates to 4.4 yds per run surrendered.

When it comes to putting the ball in the endzone, the Dallas Cowboys held an average of 31.2 points per game. As a unit they maintained an average of 124.6 yards rushing, which had them sitting 9th in the league. The Cowboys tallied 6,919 total yards last season. Dallas earned 248 1st downs offensively, and they were called for 127 penalties for 1103 yds. They surrendered the football 20 times (11 picks and 9 fumbles). Dallas amassed 40 passing touchdowns and 15 rushing touchdowns.

In terms of yards via the pass, the Cowboys allowed 4,049 yards which ranked them 20th in the league. Over the course of their 17 games played last season, they yielded 238.2 yards per game via the pass as well as relinquishing a completion percentage of 59.5%. They allowed 351.0 yards/outing which put them 19th in the National Football League. They allowed 24 touchdowns through the air as well as 13 running touchdowns. They allowed teams to run for an average of 4.5 yards per run and 112.8 rushing yards per game for the previous season. In total, they allowed 1,918 rushing yards through 17 games. The Cowboys were ranked 7th in the NFL in relation to their opponents scoring, allowing 21.1 points per contest.

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The Broncos wrapped up their year with a 7-10 record. In their last game last season, the Broncos walked away with a loss by a score of 28-24 when they faced the Chiefs. Drew Lock ended the game with 162 yards on 12/24 through the air while his quarterback rating was 71.9. He didn't throw any interceptions and his avg yards per attempt was 6.75 yards. Melvin Gordon carried the ball 12 times for 110 yards, ending the contest with 9.2 yards per carry for Denver. Tim Patrick was a featured target for the Broncos, grabbing 6 balls for 95 yards (15.8 yards per catch). Denver ended up running for 6.8 yds per carry, finishing the contest with 191 yards on 28 attempts. The Broncos finished with a total of 364 yds on 54 plays (6.7 yards per play). The Broncos secondary allowed a completion percentage of 61.4%, surrendering 255 yards on 27 for 44 through the air. Denver surrendered 29 attempts on the ground for 135 yards (4.7 yards per rush).

In relation to their ability to score points, the Broncos sat 23rd out of all teams in the league holding an average of 19.7 PPG. Last season, the Broncos earned 3,593 passing yards along with averaging 211.4 passing yards per game, giving them a rank of 19th in the NFL. They averaged 119.1 yards per game via the rush and ran for 2,025 yards in total. The Denver Broncos averaged 330.5 yards per outing which had them sitting 19th in the NFL. The Denver offense racked up 711 penalty yds on 83 violations, which had them ranked 27th in the league in terms of helping out the opposition. They tossed 9 picks while conceding 9 fumbles and they recorded 179 1st downs.

Denver gave up a total of 1,892 yards rushing (111.3 yards per outing) in addition to 9 touchdowns on the ground last season. They conceded 22 touchdowns through the air in addition to 214.8 yards per contest, which had them in 8th in the NFL. Their defense compiled 19 takeaways (6 fumbles and 13 picks) in the previous season. In total, they conceded 322 total points. The Broncos defense was on the field for 1,039 plays, which was good for 9th in the league. The Broncos gave up 18.9 points per game, which had them sitting 3rd in the NFL.

Who will win tonight's Cowboys/Broncos NFL game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Broncos -2

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