by Rod Pearson
Thursday, Oct 12, 2023
Game Time: 8:15 pm ET, Monday, October 16, 2023
Venue: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Where to Watch: ESPN, ABC
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Cowboys -2, Chargers +2; Over/Under: 50.5 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Cowboys -2.5, Chargers +2.5; Over/Under: 51 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Cowboys -2.5, Chargers +2.5; Over/Under: 50.5 points
Season Record
Dallas Cowboys: 3-2 (2nd place, NFC East)
Los Angeles Chargers: 2-2 (2nd place, AFC West)
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Recent Form
Dallas Cowboys: lost their last game on the road against the San Francisco 49ers 42-10.
Los Angeles Chargers: won their last game at home against the Las Vegas Raiders 24-17.
Dallas Cowboys vs Los Angeles Chargers Preview and Analysis
The Cowboys are entering this game with a 3-2 record overall and they have a 1-0 record in their divisional games too. They are 2-0 in their home games, 1-2 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They lost their last game against the San Francisco 49ers 42-10. Dak Prescott was the starting QB and he completed 14/24 passes for 153 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 3 interceptions. Tony Pollard led the team in rushing yards with 29. CeeDee Lamb led the receivers with 49 receiving yards on 4 receptions. Donovan Wilson led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles while Jayron Kearse led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that game.
The Chargers are entering this game with a 2-2 record overall and they have a 1-0 record in their divisional games too. They are 1-1 in their home games, 1-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against the Las Vegas Raiders 24-17. Justin Herbert was the starting QB and he completed 13/24 passes for 167 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Joshua Kelley led the team in rushing yards with 65. Joshua Palmer led the receivers with 77 receiving yards on 3 receptions. Khalil Mack led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles while Khalil Mack led the defense in sacks with 6. Asante Samuel, Jr. came away with the only interception for them in that game.
Cowboys vs Chargers Prediction
The current betting odds have the Cowboys listed as a 2 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cowboys are 3-2 this season and were completely embarrassed in prime time last week in their loss to the 49ers. The Cowboys lost to a much better team in that game though and they will definitely be looking to bounce back after that performance. The Chargers are only 2-2 this year and have already had to save their season after starting the year 0-2. They are coming off their bye week here but they also have a ton of injuries to key players on both offense and defense which is going to make this a really tough game for them to win. The Cowboys still have a lot more talent on their offense with the current injuries to the Chargers and their defense is also a lot better too. The Cowboys also have the motivation of needing a bounce back win and they have already responded really well this year to their other loss against the Cardinals. The Cowboys are due for a big game here against a banged up Chargers team and they will bounce back in this game. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cowboys to cover the spread in this game.
Cowboys Chargers Prediction: Our NFL Pick for Monday, October 16, 2023 (8:15 pm ET start time) is Cowboys 28 Chargers 24.
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NFL Betting Trends
Dallas Cowboys: 27-15 ATS in all games. 21-10 ATS as a favorite. 10-2 ATS after 1 or more consecutive losses against the spread. 8-1 UNDER in games where the line is +3 to -3. 13-7 UNDER in road games. 27-13 UNDER off a road blowout loss by 14 points or more.
Los Angeles Chargers: 5-9 ATS in a home game where the total is greater than or equal to 45.5. 21-10 UNDER in a home game where the total is greater than or equal to 49.5. 22-13 UNDER after a bye week. 12-7 UNDER after 1 or more consecutive wins.
Key Injuries
Dallas Cowboys: P. Hendershot (TE) Ques Mon - Ankle. L. Vander Esch (LB) Ques Mon - Neck. K. Turpin (WR) Ques Mon - Ankle. C. Goodwin (CB) out for season - Pectoral. T. Diggs (CB) I-R - Knee. N. Wright (CB) Out indefinitely - Ankle. M. Waletzko (OT) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. J. Stephens Jr. (WR) I-R - Knee. D. Durden (WR) I-R - Knee. D. Overshown (LB) I-R - Knee. J. Ball (OT) I-R - Hip.
Los Angeles Chargers: D. James Jr. (S) Ques Mon - Hamstring. A. Gilman (S) Ques Mon - Heel. J. Bosa (LB) Ques Mon - Hamstring. D. Leonard (DB) Ques Mon - Hamstring. D. Parham Jr. (TE) Ques Mon - Wrist. J. Woods (S) Out indefinitely - Illness. C. Linsley (C) Out indefinitely - Illness. M. Williams (WR) out for season - Knee. A. Ekeler (RB) Out indefinitely - Ankle. O. Ogbonnia (DL) Out indefinitely - Knee. J. Guyton (WR) Out indefinitely - Knee.
Notable Quotes
“Didn’t see it coming. Put everything into this, and got punched in the mouth. It was humbling a couple weeks ago against Arizona. But this may be the most humbling game I’ve ever been a part of.” - Dak Prescott after their loss against the 49ers in their last game.
“It was a really tough performance with a bunch of guys out. Our guys had their best at the end.” - Brandon Staley after his team’s win against the Raiders in their last game.
Starting Lineups
Dallas Cowboys
WR Gallup, Michael
WR Cooks, Brandin
WR Lamb, CeeDee
TE Ferguson, Jake
QB PRESCOTT, DAK
RB Pollard, Tony
FB Luepke, Hunter
Los Angeles Chargers
WR Johnston, Quentin
WR Palmer, Joshua
WR ALLEN, KEENAN
TE Everett, Gerald
QB Herbert, Justin
RB Ekeler, Austin
Statistical Leaders
Dallas Cowboys
Passing: D. Prescott (1061)
Rushing: T. Pollard (340)
Receiving: C. Lamb (358)
Touchdowns: T. Pollard (2)
Los Angeles Chargers
Passing: J. Herbert (1106)
Rushing: J. Kelley (207)
Receiving: K. Allen (434)
Touchdowns: D. Parham Jr. (3)
Coaches:
Dallas Cowboys: Mike McCarthy (4th season)
Los Angeles Chargers: Brandon Staley (3rd season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
