The Dallas Cowboys look for their first two-game winning streak of the season when they meet the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Dallas forged a tie for second place in the NFC East with a 27-20 upset of the Eagles as a touchdown underdog last week. Meanwhile, the Falcons saw their three-game winning streak snapped in a 28-16 road loss to the Browns. Both teams need a strong finish down the stretch in order to qualify for a postseason spot. The Falcons are 3.5-point favorites in the current Cowboys vs. Falcons odds, up from an opener of three. The over-under for total points scored has climbed to 49 from an opening mark of 47. On the money line, the Falcons are -190 (risk $190 to win $100), while the Cowboys are +171 (risk $100 to win $171). Before you lock in your Cowboys vs. Falcons picks, listen to what SportsLine expert Mike Tierney has to say.
Tierney is a widely respected national sportswriter who also has emerged as one of the top handicappers in all sports for SportsLine. He's currently among their top NFL analysts with an astounding record of 41-19, returning a whopping profit of $2,000 to $100 bettors. Moreover, he's had an especially sharp eye when it comes to the tendencies of Dallas. Over the past two seasons, Tierney is 8-2 on spread picks involving the Cowboys.
Two weeks ago, Tierney advised SportsLine members that the Cowboys were too big of a favorite against the Titans and would struggle to cover a spread of nearly a touchdown. The result: Tennessee won outright, 28-14, and anyone who heeded Tierney's advice booked an easy winner.
Now, Tierney has studied Falcons vs. Cowboys from every possible angle and released a strong point-spread selection that's available only at SportsLine.
Tierney knows that in beating the defending Super Bowl champions on the road, the Cowboys showed a varied and effective offense, while their sterling defense consistently delivered stops. Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 151 yards on 19 carries with a touchdown while adding six receptions for 36 yards and another score. New acquisition Amari Cooper had six catches for 75 yards.
The defense, minus injured star Sean Lee, held the Eagles to 71 rushing yards and forced an interception from Carson Wentz.
Just because the Cowboys are coming in hot doesn't mean they'll cover against a Falcons team that has beaten the spread in five of the last seven meeting between these clubs.
Tierney also knows the Falcons have been maddeningly inconsistent, as their 12-point loss to the Browns followed perhaps their best performance of the season in a 38-14 road win over the NFC East-leading Redskins. Still, their offense remains highly potent, ranking sixth in the NFL in total yards (408.9), second in passing (319.1), and eighth in scoring (27.1).
Their 27-7 rout of the Cowboys last year was Atlanta's best defensive performance in recent memory. The Cowboys managed just 233 yards of total offense while missing Elliott, who was suspended. Adrian Clayborn, who has since left to play for the Patriots, set an Atlanta franchise record with six sacks.
We can tell you Tierney is leaning toward the Under, but his much stronger play is on the side. He has identified a crucial X-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. He's only sharing at SportsLine.
Who covers Falcons vs. Cowboys? And what crucial X-factor makes one side of the spread hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of Cowboys vs. Falcons you need to jump on Sunday, all from a renowned sportswriter who's hitting 80 percent of his spread picks on the Cowboys.
