Cowboys vs. Steelers Week 5 predictions: SNF NFL odds, picks, best bets
Despite winning the time of possession battle and out-gaining Indianapolis in total yards, Pittsburgh suffered its first loss of the season last week in Indianapolis.The Steelers return home in Week 5 to host Dallas on “Sunday Night Football.” They opened as 1.5-point underdogs but now enter as 2.5-point favorites, with the over/under set at 44 points.The Cowboys had struggled to stop the run through the first three weeks of the season, but they held the Giants to just 26 rushing yards in Week 4, a showing reminiscent of their top-five defense of a year ago.Here’s a preview of Sunday night’s game with our best bets on the over/under and against the spread.But, first, let’s take a look at the latest odds.This season, the Steelers have covered the spread in three of their first four games, while Dallas has a 1-3 record against the spread (ATS). Expect Dallas to struggle against a Pittsburgh defense that ranks seventh in defensive DVOA and has the highest pass-rush grade in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus.It will be up against a Cowboys offensive line that has been suspect, especially at both tackle positions. Terence Steele and rookie Tyler Guyton have received the 49th-highest and 53rd-highest pass-blocking grades out of 58 tackles with a 50% minimum snap count of the maximum blocks snaps.Simply put, this is a bad matchup for Dallas.
The Steelers deploy a four-time Defensive Player of the Year finalist in TJ Watt and a three-time First Team All-Pro in Cameron Heyward.Since the Cowboys are one of the worst rushing teams in the NFL (30th in yards per attempts and 32nd in yards per game), Pittsburgh will be able to focus all of its defensive attention on pressuring Dak Prescott and making him uncomfortable.Prescott is 1-8 ATS as an underdog in his last nine starts, and the Cowboys are a league-worst 2-7 ATS in their last nine games.Pittsburgh should have no problem shutting down the one-dimensional, pass-heavy Dallas offense Sunday night.Plus, this is a p...