Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Commanders: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 1/8/2023

by Chuck Sommers

Saturday, Jan 07, 2023
Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Venue: FedEx Field, Landover, MD
Where to watch: FOX

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks


DraftKings: Cowboys -7; Cowboys -330, Commanders +275
FanDuel: Cowboys -7; Cowboys -330, Commanders +265
BetMGM: Cowboys -7; Cowboys -350, Commanders +260
Caesars: Cowboys -7; Cowboys -323, Commanders +250

Season record
Cowboys: 12-4 (Clinched playoff berth; need win and Philadelphia loss to clinch NFC East)
Commanders: 7-8-1

We’re coming down the home stretch of the NFL season and there’s still a lot left to get excited for on your TV screen (or your streaming device if you’re like me and watch Sunday Ticket on a Fire Stick. That works, too). Nevertheless, the final few weeks of the regular season are going to be hectic for everyone on the field, but just as much as everyone off it. You’re probably going to need to figure out which plays are the best ones in terms of teams sitting the star players for the playoff advantage, or which teams are going all in for the final playoff push. If you need that extra push, trust that our champion handicappers can get the job done for you. Matt Fargo has a 17-9-0 run over the last 30 days in the NFL. Brian Bitler has continued to stay consistent, despite a wild, unpredictable season, by going 16-9-0. Do you want a piece of this action? Make sure to stay locked to bigal.com and follow our champion handicappers so you can be a champion, too!

Cowboys - Commanders preview, analysis and prediction


Last week
Cowboys: won 27-13 at Titans (Thursday Night)
Commanders: lost 24-10 vs. Browns

The Dallas Cowboys get to be in a fun little position heading into Sunday. They get to play at the exact same time as the Philadelphia Eagles and with the way that that game could be dictated, there is a very high probability that the Cowboys could be playing scoreboard watching while doing whatever they can against Washington. And as a result of that the Cowboys are desperately looking for any hope to getting one of the top two seeds in the NFC.
 
That would require only not just a victory over the Washington commanders on Sunday but it would need to be a lost by the Philadelphia Eagles against the New York Giants, who are more than likely going to rest their starters considering they have their playoff future locked up. The only question if you are looking at it from a giants perspective is do you want to at least try and build some momentum against a Philadelphia team that may or may not have Jalen Hurts available come kick off? And if you are Dallas, how much are you paying attention to that?
 
The Cowboys are laying seven points in this game, and they're looking to close the regular season with their seventh win in eight games. Although last week did not look extremely sharp against the Tennessee Titans in the 27-13 victory, Dallas still found a way to win. At this time of year that's all that matters. And if Dallas can win one more game and get some help along the way Dallas might be hosting a playoff game and get a bye week should everything fall into place.
 
The biggest question mark here for Dallas is that of dak Prescott and his sudden urge to throw interceptions every single game. It's really quite confounding to see Prescott throw the boneheaded interceptions that he's been throwing over the last number of weeks and you could probably point part of that to his broken thumb that he suffered back in week one but there's no reason why he should be struggling the way that he is. If Dallas is going to win the Super bowl, Prescott needs to play well and if he starts throwing interceptions the way that he has, there's not going to be a lot of chances for Dallas to keep these playoff hopes intact.
 
But at the end of the day it could be worse. You could be like Washington who has absolutely no idea what to do with quarterback situation because Ron Rivera doesn't know when his team is eliminated from the playoffs and he has no idea what in the world to do when he chooses a quarterback. Carson Wentz will be inactive, Taylor Heinicke might start but who in the world knows, and rookie quarterback Sam Howell is going to see some reps.
 
This team does not deserve to sniff the playoffs and we can only hope that Washington finds a way to get another quarterback because this soul situation is a mess. Washington has gone 0-4 in its last four against the spread and that includes a tie during this 0-3-1 streak in the last four. Washington should have never messed with what they had at quarterback. If they didn't, maybe it's the Commanders possibly fighting for a playoff spot.
 
Prediction
 
Given the fact that they are playing at the same time as Philadelphia, the Cowboys will likely be playing everyone until they can't anymore. And I would venture to guess that that would bode well for Dallas if they can somehow also get a miraculous help from San Francisco. Highly doubtful but we've seen crazier things. Cowboys 34, Commanders 13

Betting trends

Cowboys are 17-8 ATS as a favorite the last 2 seasons.

Cowboys are 12-4 ATS on the road the last 2 seasons.

Cowboys are 23-11 ATS in all games the last 2 seasons.

Commanders are 38-60 ATS after a game with a turnover margin of -2 or worse since 1992.

Statistical leaders

Cowboys:
Passing: Dak Prescott – 2,732 yards, 22 TD, 14 INT
Rushing: Tony Pollard – 988 yards, 9 TD
Receiving: CeeDee Lamb – 1,307 yards, 8 TD
Defense: Micah Parsons – 13 sacks

Commanders:
Passing: Carson Wentz – 1,755 yards, 11 TD, 9 INT
Rushing: Brian Robinson – 797 yards, 2 TD
Receiving: Terry McLaurin – 1,117 yards, 4 TD
Defense: Daron Payne – 11.5 sacks

Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Dallas Cowboys - Washington Commanders prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NFL projections and previews.

Chuck Sommers

About the Author:

Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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