Giants vs. Cowboys Week 12 matchup preview and current betting lines
The New York Giants (7-3) and Dallas Cowboys (7-3) may have identical records, but these look like two teams moving in opposite directions as they meet for the second time this season.
The Giants lost another top wide receiver, rookie Wan’Dale Robinson, to a torn ACL while turning the ball over a season-high three times in their ugliest loss of the season at home to the Lions, 31-18. Saquon Barkley was completely shut down with 15 carries for 22 yards.
The Cowboys had their best game of the season, a 40-3 blowout in Minnesota where Tony Pollard could not be touched, let alone stopped as he had nearly 200 yards and two more touchdowns. The team also is wooing former Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr., and if the Cowboys complete the sweep of New York in this one, that should make Beckham’s decision clear on which team offers a great chance at another ring this year if that’s what he wants.
Dallas already won 23-16 on the road against the Giants in Week 3 with backup quarterback Cooper Rush passing for 215 yards. Now Dak Prescott is back and looking strong, and the defense is still one of the best this year.
After losing the first two meetings in his rookie year, Prescott is 9-0 against the Giants since 2017. Does he make it 10 straight? The NFL Week 12 odds have the Cowboys as a 9.5-point home favorite with a total of 45.5 points.
Players to watch in the Giants vs. Cowboys game
New York Giants
Darius Slayton: With torn ACLs for Sterling Shepard and Wan’Dale Robinson, eternal disappointment from Kenny Golladay, and a trade of Kadarius Toney to the Chiefs, Slayton is about all the Giants have left at wide receiver. He’s had some success in the past with Daniel Jones, but he is the de facto No. 1 option in the passing game now.
Dallas Cowboys
Tony Pollard: Few running backs are as explosive as Pollard. Since Prescott returned in Week 7 and Ezekiel Elliott took a diminished role in part due to injury, Pollard has shined with six touchdowns and 573 yards from scrimmage in the last four games. Saquon Barkley has rightly gotten a lot of attention this year, but Pollard is the best running back on the field this Thursday.
Our Best NFL Bets for the Giants vs. Cowboys game
We have two NFL Week 12 predictions for this NFC East rematch on Thanksgiving afternoon.
Giants vs. Cowboys Point Spread Pick: Cowboys -9.5 (-110)
The Giants vs. Cowboys spread opened with the Cowboys as a 7.5-point home favorite before moving up to 9.5 points.
New York did a great job earlier this season of wining close games as most of its games came down to the fourth quarter. But the Giants’ last two losses have been by 14 (Seahawks) and 13 (Lions) points. We are starting to see the turnovers pile up on offense as the injuries to pass receivers have increased, and the defense doesn’t get enough takeaways (12 in 10 games) to really offset that.
We also see a lot of cracks in the run defense as the Giants allow 5.3 yards per carry, ranked 31st in the league. That’s bad news against Dallas, which already rushed for 178 yards in Week 3 in New York without Dak Prescott available at quarterback. Tony Pollard should shine again in this one after he already rushed for 105 yards in the first game.
The Cowboys were also plus-5 in sacks in that game with five takedowns of Jones. Micah Parsons is the leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. He has yet to notch a sack in three games against the Giants, but you can bet he’ll try his best to end that streak in this one after he had two of Dallas’ seven sacks in Minnesota on Sunday.
This is just not a good matchup for the Giants, who are limited in how many points they can score. Of Prescott’s nine wins against the Giants, six have been by double digits, including both games last year.
Be sure to check out our NFL picks page for more betting tips.
bet on nfl with BET365Cowboys Prop: Tony Pollard Over 67.5 Rushing Yards (-112)
Division rematches can be so unpredictable, especially when big parts are changed like Cooper Rush replaced by Prescott, so we are going to avoid bets on the total.
But the hot hand has been Tony Pollard, and it should be undeniable to the Cowboys now that he deserves to get more touches and snaps than Elliott.
- In his last three games against the Giants, Pollard has rushed for 75, 74, and 105 yards.
- In his top six games by snap count this season, Pollard has rushed for at least 80 yards in 5-of-6 games.
- The Giants rank 31st in yards per carry allowed and have not held any rushing offense under 87 yards.
- The Giants have already allowed nine 70-yard rushers this season.
We won’t play the touchdown here, because as last week showed, Elliott could always steal those goal-line carries from Pollard. But the rushing yards should be a safe NFL bet of the week.
bet on NFL with Betrivers >Frequently asked questions about the Giants vs. Cowboys game in Week 12
The game is being played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Since 2011, the Cowboys are just 4-7 SU and 1-10 ATS on Thanksgiving. They have lost three years in a row, including last season’s 36-33 overtime loss to the Raiders that was filled with penalties. But this is the first time the Cowboys have been favored by this much on Thanksgiving since the beginning of the Tony Romo era when the Cowboys were 4-0 SU and ATS in 2006-09.
You should read our player prop picks and daily NFL predictions.