San Francisco 49ers vs Dallas Cowboys Betting Preview
Sunday night, the No. 2 seed 49ers host the No. 5 seed Cowboys in the NFC Divisional Round. Will Brock Purdy finally have a game where he looks like a rookie? Sportsmemo NFL handicapper Eric Pauly shares his thoughts and makes a free, expert Dallas Cowboys vs San Francisco 49ers betting pick!
San Francisco 49ers vs Dallas Cowboys NFL Playoffs Betting Odds
Sunday, January 22 | NFL Playoffs Betting Notes |
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Point Spread: | San Francisco 49ers -4 vs Dallas Cowboys |
Total: | o/u 46 Points |
Location: | Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco, CA |
Game Time: | 6:30pm ET / 3:30pm PT (Odds Above Courtesy of DraftKings) |
TV: | FOX |
San Francisco 49ers vs Dallas Cowboys Betting Preview
The Cowboys bet up on the Buccaneers in the first round, and now they have a date with the 49ers in the Divisional Round. San Francisco won handily in the Wild Card round, but they did not play their best football.
Still, I think this Cowboys team is overrated, and I think the 49ers have the advantage in this matchup.
Cowboys Must Avoid Turnovers
This Cowboys team has been streaky all year. After going 4-1 with Cooper Rush after the Prescott injury, the Cowboys lost or almost lost to a few bad teams while not beating anything too noteworthy.
Dallas is No. 2 in defensive DVOA on the season, but this unit has not been lights out all season long. The Cowboys just beat a bad Buccaneers team, so I do not put too much stock in that win.
Their offense is still unimaginative, they do not get the ball to their best playmakers, and they are not as great on defense as it seems.
On a per-drive basis, this defense is 5th in time, 8th in plays, 6th in yards, and 4th in points. You can run the ball on this defense, which is the 49ers specialty.
Dak Prescott also had the turnover bug this season and has not been reliable. Throw in the poor coaching staff this team has, and I am not convinced they can beat the best team in the NFC this weekend.
Purdy Backed by Top Defense
The 49ers beat the Seahawks by 18 in the Wild Card round, but despite the final score, this was not as big of a blowout as you would think. The Seahawks led at halftime, and a Geno Smith fumble changed the momentum. I am low on Dallas, but Brock Purdy was not great in his playoff debut.
While his stats looked great, Purdy was really not good at all. The Cowboys’ defense is overrated, but this is the best defense he has faced since becoming the starter.
This offense relies on yards after the catch and the ground game, but if Purdy turns it over, the 49ers have no chance, even with the No. 1 defense in the NFL.
This defense is legit, and they can certainly slow down Dallas. If the 49ers can force turnovers, this game may not be close.
San Francisco 49ers vs Dallas Cowboys Prediction
The key number of 3 is covered by Dallas here, which makes this game tough to bet. I lean toward the 49ers – they are the better team with the better coach – but the line is telling me to bet Dallas.
I am going against my gut here, and I am going with the 49ers. Lines are more efficient in the postseason, and considering the fact that there are some SF -4s out there, I will lay the 3.5 with SF.
Prediction: San Francisco 49ers -3.5 -120
Opening Line Report | NFL Wild Card Round
Join Drew Martin and Teddy Covers for this week’s edition of Opening Line Report as these two discuss betting angles to take across every matchup on the board including this San Francisco 49ers vs Dallas Cowboys NFC Divisional Round game!
NFL Odds Board
WagerTalk’s Live Odds Screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NFL point spreads, totals and betting percentages for all NFL Playoff games, including this San Francisco 49ers vs Dallas Cowboys showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
Eric Pauly, @slimeaction on Twitter, graduated from Binghamton University with a degree in Finance. Eric is a die-hard Washington Commanders and New York Knicks fan and enjoys watching and writing about the NFL, NBA and MLB. His favorite gambling movements include hitting a +1000 future on Washington to win the NFC East in 2020 and predicting Jonathan Taylor’s breakout season with a +900 ticket for him to win the 2021 NFL rushing title. Aside from the sports betting industry, and making a brilliant Cleveland Browns vs Los Angeles Chargers betting pick, Eric also enjoys good eats, dynasty fantasy football leagues, daily fantasy sports and playing the guitar.
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