The Cowboys and Ravens will put the finishing touches on Week 13 when they square off in Baltimore for a rare Tuesday head-to-head. The reason why Baltimore is opening its doors on Tuesday is thanks to the COVID-19 outbreak that hit the organization and forced their Week 12 matchup with Pittsburgh to be rescheduled three times. With that game eventually being bumped out to last Wednesday, the league elected to move this game with Dallas -- that was originally scheduled to begin the Week 13 slate on Thursday Night Football -- out to Tuesday.
In this space, we'll be diving into all the different betting angles that this game has to offer. Along with the spread and total, we'll also look into some player props that catch our eye and will detail how the lines have changed leading up to this matchup. All NFL odds are via William Hill Sportsbook.
How to watch
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 8 | Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
Location: M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore, Maryland)
TV: Fox | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)
Follow: CBS Sports App
Cowboys (3-8) at Ravens (6-5)
This number opened at Baltimore -8.5 on Sunday morning and did bump up a half-point to Baltimore -9 before the afternoon. However, the spread has since dipped rather dramatically leading into Tuesday with Baltimore just edging out a touchdown advantage at -7.5. While Lamar Jackson coming off the COVID-list is a promising sign, one reason why bettors may be driving that number down with Dallas is due to the quarterback not having much practice time with his teammates, giving the potential for rust to play a factor on Tuesday.
The Cowboys have also covered two of their previous three games after starting the year 0-8 ATS. Meanwhile, the Ravens have fallen into a serious slump even prior to their COVID outbreak. Baltimore has lost four of their last five games and are 0-4 ATS in their previous four games as a favorite.
While the track record points to the Cowboys keeping this game close, it's hard to imagine Dallas' defense shutting down Jackson and the Baltimore offense. Entering Week 13, Mike McCarthy's team is allowing the most rushing yards per game (156.4) in the NFL. They are also giving up 32.6 points per game, which is also the most in the league. While Dallas does have some playmakers on offense and a solid quarterback under center in Andy Dalton to get them the ball, it's hard to imagine the defense will give them much of a shot in this one. This could be just the game that turns things around for Baltimore and builds back up their confidence.
Projected score: Baltimore 30, Dallas 21
Over/Under
This number has largely held true since opening up at 45 but has ticked up a half-point as of Tuesday morning. Dallas is giving up the most points in the NFL and arguably their biggest weakness on defense is Baltimore's biggest strength on offense. Dallas is allowing the most rushing yards per game in the NFL heading into Tuesday and the Ravens run the ball as often and as well as any club in the league. Similar to Antonio Gibson's three-touchdown performance against this defense on Thanksgiving, I expect the Ravens to light up the scoreboard on the ground.
Projected total: 51
Player Props
Amari Cooper total receiving yards: Over 52.5 (-135). Over Andy Dalton's last two starts, Cooper is averaging 96.5 receiving yards per game. He continues to look Cooper's way (15 targets in two weeks) and the receiver is cashing in. It'll be a tough matchup facing Baltimore's secondary but the volume is there for Cooper to go over.
Andy Dalton total passing yards: Under 226.5 (-115). While Cooper may pile up yardage, I don't expect it to be a strong day through the air for Dalton, who is averaging 209 yards passing since coming back under center in Week 11. Meanwhile, the Ravens are allowing just 221.5 passing yards per game this year.
Lamar Jackson total rushing yards: Over 53.5 (-115). The defending NFL MVP has hit the Over on this total in four of his last five starts. He's also logged double-digit carries in four-straight games coming into Tuesday. No reason to expect that to dip, which give him a great chance to fly over this number against a soft defense.
J.K. Dobbins to score two or more touchdowns (+800). This is piggy-backing off of Antonio Gibson's three-touchdown game back on Thanksgiving against this group, but this defense has shown that they're susceptible on the ground. Dobbins is the rising star in Baltimore's backfield and could be the latest rookie to pile up multiple touchdowns against the Dallas defense. At the very least, jump on his anytime touchdown prop at +163.
Dez Bryant anytime touchdown (+350). Why not play into and root for this narrative? This is Bryant's first-ever game against the Cowboys and it'd be fitting to see his first touchdown with the Ravens come against the team he rose to NFL stardom with. Just make sure he's actually active for this matchup, but this is a fun side story to sprinkle a little action on.
