L.A. Rams vs. Dallas Cowboys – Week 15 NFL Betting Analysis
L.A. Rams (8-5 9-4 ATS) at Dallas Cowboys (6-7 7-6 ATS)
The reeling Cowboys look to end their three-game win streak at home where they are a slight 1-point underdog facing the L.A. Rams with a total of 49.
The public money has really been on the Rams, not a big shock, as they opened as a 3-point underdog and as of Wednesday are a 1-point favorite.
America’s Team has lost three in a row and four of their last five games and even at only 6-7 they are still tied with the Philadelphia Eagles for first place in the NFC East. They play Philly on the road in the season finale and they beat them in the Big D earlier this season.
In their last game, Dallas lost to the Chicago Bears 31-24.
The Cowboys have gone away from the run game and Ezekiel Elliot and it has obviously not paid dividends. While they gave him a huge contract before the season they have relied on Dak Prescott to lead the offense and that has not been successful in the last few games.
The Rams are still in the playoff hunt one game back of the Minnesota Vikings for the last Wild Card spot in the NFC. They have won two in a row and are coming off an impressive 28-12 win over the Seattle Seahawks snapping their five-game winning streak.
L.A. has only given up 19 points in their last two games while on the other side of the coin the Cowboys have given up 57 points in their last two games.
In the last seven games between these teams, the home team is 5-2 ATS.
Taking it to the Birds
In their win over the Seahawks, the Rams were legit on both sides of the ball. They outscored Seattle 21-3 in the first half and for the game racked up 455 yards while only giving up 308 yards.
Jared Goff passed for 293 yards with two TD and two INT and for the 2nd straight game rookie TE Tyler Higbee had over 100 receiving yards. The team has used Todd Gurley more in the last few games and in the win over the Seahawks he rushed for 79 yards and had four receptions for 34 yards.
Gurley may get the rock often in this game facing a Dallas run defense, which is the weakness of the defense, that gave up 151 rushing yards in their last game and ranks 19th in the league.
Get Back to Zeke
Ezekiel Elliot has rushed for 1,071 yards this season but in the last five games, he has not rushed for over 86 yards. However, in the last three Cowboys’ losses, he has averaged at least 4.1 yards per carry and has 13 receptions for 118 receiving yards.
Dak Prescott leads the league in passing yards and had 334 of them with a TD and no INT in the loss to the Bears. In three of the losses in the last five games for the Cowboys, Prescott has passed for at least 334 yards and in the game where he had the most passing yards of the season (463 yards) Dallas lost.
L.A. has turned up the defense in the last two games and on the season they have been balanced ranking 10th in the league in pass defense and 12th in run defense.
Our Prediction
The Rams are 4-0 ATS in their last four games facing a team with a losing record and 7-1 ATS in their last eight road games. On the other side of the coin, the Cowboys are 1-7 ATS in their last eight games facing a team with a winning record.
All of the above trends will continue, as the Cowboys are in a tailspin and the Rams will take advantage of that. Their defense will have another solid game and they will get the win over Dallas and cover the 1-point spread.
PICK: Rams -1