Morning Coffee: A FanDuel Best Bet for Thursday Night Football
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The Dallas Cowboys have been historically dominant in their home stadium this season. That trend is expected to continue tonight.
The Cowboys are 5-0 at home this season. All five wins have been by 20 points or more. That’s the longest streak to begin a season in NFL history.
Dallas has also won 13 straight home games dating back to last season.
That’s the longest active streak in the NFL and the second-longest home win streak in franchise history.
The Cowboys will put their perfect home record on the line tonight when they host the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football.
Dallas opened -5.5 for tonight’s game. That number climbed as high as -9 at FanDuel, before settling at the current number at -8.5.
Will the Cowboys continue to dominate at home against the Seahawks tonight?
For as impressive as they have looked this season, Dallas is still looking for its first win of the year versus an opponent with a winning record.
I’m anticipating an added sense of urgency from the Cowboys tonight as they attempt to change that against Seattle in a prime-time showcase.
This is the Morning Coffee for Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023.
Cowboys aim to stay perfect at home versus Seahawks
The fact that Dallas is still looking for its first win of the year versus an opponent with a winning record shouldn’t be a major surprise to anybody who has looked at their schedule to date.
The Cowboys have played just two opponents with a winning record so far this season in the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Both of those teams are among the top three choices to win the Super Bowl at FanDuel. Both of those games were on the road.
The outlook for tonight’s game is a lot different for Dallas, which is playing its best football of the season and is back at home on a short week.
The same can’t be said for its opponent.
The Seahawks are coming off a 31-13 loss to San Francisco and have dropped three of their past four to fall to 6-5.
FanDuel now considers Seattle more likely to miss than make the playoffs at +114.
A brutal three-game stretch that features the Cowboys, 49ers and Eagles over the next three weeks weighs heavily.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith has been severely limited by an elbow injury to his throwing arm.
While their defence has held up well for the most part, Seattle has averaged just 10.7 points per game over its past three losses.
Now the Seahawks have to face a Dallas defence that has absolutely dominated this season.
In fact, the Cowboys are the only NFL team with two players among the top five choices to win AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year at FanDuel.
Micah Parsons is the second choice to win that award at +175. DaRon Bland, who has set an NFL single-season record with five pick-sixes, is the fourth choice at +1000.
Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will have his guys ready for the opportunity to make a statement against his former team in prime time.
On the other side of the football, Dak Prescott has played his best football of late.
Prescott leads the NFL with 17 touchdown passes and a 124.8 passer rating since Week 7. Dallas is 4-1 straight up and against the spread over that span.
For what it’s worth, Prescott is now the third choice to win the AP NFL regular season MVP award at +600. Only Jalen Hurts (+150) and Patrick Mahomes (+350) have shorter odds to win that award at FanDuel.
Prescott has thrown for 300 or more yards and four or more touchdowns in three straight home games, which is tied with Drew Brees for the longest streak in NFL history.
With the offence and defence both performing at a high level for a team that has been dominant at home, the Cowboys have an excellent opportunity to secure their first win of the year against an opponent with a winning record against Seattle on Thursday Night Football.
A FanDuel Best Bet for Thursday Night Football
CeeDee Lamb ranks third in the NFL with 1,066 receiving yards this season.
While Lamb has been as consistent as they come, his over/under is set at 87.5 receiving yards for tonight’s game.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll will do everything he can to try to take away Prescott’s No. 1 option, and he has some pretty good cornerbacks to do it with.
Still, Prescott has thrown for 300 or more yards in three straight home games, and I don’t see Seattle completely shutting him down tonight.
For my FanDuel Best Bet, I’m going to go with the playmaker that has emerged as Prescott’s second option in Brandin Cooks.
Cooks has registered 42 or more receiving yards on four or more targets in three straight games for Dallas.
He’s averaged 122.5 receiving yards in his past two home games.
Cooks 25+ receiving yards is 5-for-5 in Cowboys home games this season.
Meanwhile, running back Tony Pollard is coming off one of his best performances of the season after going for 103 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in last week’s win over the Washington Commanders.
Pollard has registered 50 or more rushing yards in five straight games for Dallas.
He should get plenty of opportunities again tonight for a team that is a big favourite at home.