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The Dallas Cowboys are a Thanksgiving staple, but their Thanksgiving NFL game this year might be better served as a time to take your post-meal nap.
The middle game of the 2024 NFL Thanksgiving schedule features a listless divisional showdown between two backup quarterbacks on bad teams.
The Cowboys are 4-7 after last week’s wild win over the Washington Commanders, but there’s not much hope for Dallas after Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in early November, thrusting Cooper Rush into a starting role for the first time since 2022.
Meanwhile, the New York Giants are in even worse shape. They’re tied for the worst record in football at 2-9 and have lost six straight games, including a 30-7 blowout to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week coming off their bye.
The Giants will give second-year QB Tommy DeVito his second start of the season after cutting franchise quarterback Daniel Jones last week, signaling the end of a disappointing era in New York football.
The Cowboys enter this game as four-point home favorites, but it’s hard to have much faith in either side based on how they’ve played lately. Here’s how we expect this NFC East rivalry matchup to play out based on the odds from our favorite NFL betting sites.
Game Details
- Matchup: New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys
- Date: Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024
- Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
- Location: AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
- Watch: FOX
Odds Summary
- Moneyline: Giants +160, Cowboys -192
- Spread: Giants +3.5 (-108), Cowboys -3.5 (-112)
- Total: Over/Under 37 (-110/-110)
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook and subject to change.
Giants vs. Cowboys Moneyline
It’s never easy to pick a winner between two bad teams, but we’ll try.
With both teams down to their backup quarterbacks, this game will likely be won and lost in the trenches, which is where the Giants have a significant advantage.
New York has a solid ground game with Tyrone Tracy (5.1 yards per carry) and Devin Singletary, who should be able to exploit the Cowboys’ porous run defense (31st in rushing yards allowed, 32nd in rushing touchdowns allowed).
Conversely, Dallas’ anemic ground attack ranks 31st in rushing yards and 32nd in rushing touchdowns. That puts a lot of pressure on Rush, who’s completing just 61.1% of his passes this season alongside a 33.2 QBR.
He’ll likely struggle against the Giants’ strong pass rush, whereas DeVito should be more comfortable under center after taking over the offense last week.
This will be an ugly game, but we like New York to pull off the upset against a beatable opponent.
Giants vs. Cowboys Spread
Even if you think the Cowboys will win, the Giants still look like the better play on the spread. Even if they lose by a field goal, they’ll still cover.
We’re expecting a close game between two evenly matched opponents. New York has the better defense and ground game, which should help the G-Men keep the score tight, if not win outright.
Dallas has been atrocious at home this year, going 0-5 with a minus-118 point differential in its own building. Meanwhile, New York is 4-1 against a +3.5 spread on the road this year.
In what should be a close game, take the points with the Giants.
Giants vs. Cowboys Over/Under
Given the diminished state of both offenses, it’s not surprising to see such a low total here.
That said, this is an extremely low bar to clear. If one team gets to 21 points, the Over will likely hit.
The Over is 4-2 in the Cowboys’ last six games and is 2-2 in the Giants’ last four games.
Rush is coming off his best game of the season and has averaged 300.5 passing yards over his last two starts. Meanwhile, Dallas’ defense is horrible and is giving up 29 points per game this year, so New York should put up points.
Even with the lack of skill under center, we’re backing the Over.
Giants vs. Cowboys Props
Cooper Rush Over 205.5 Passing Yards (-115)
Rush has cleared this prop easily in his last two starts, averaging just over 300 yards per game while exceeding 30 pass attempts in both contests.
The Over on this prop is 6-3 in Rush’s nine career starts, and he shouldn’t face much resistance from New York’s defense, which is on the road on a short week. Rush should hit the Over by a comfortable margin.
Tyrone Tracy Over 64.5 Rushing Yards (-120)
In seven games as a starter, Tracy is averaging 79.7 rushing yards per contest. He’s also hit the Over on this prop in four of those games, including three of his last four.
The rookie RB was scripted out of last week’s loss but only ran the ball nine times, so he should have fresh legs this week. He also has a juicy matchup against a Dallas defense that ranks 31st in rushing yards allowed (150.5 per game).
Tracy should be much more involved this week as long as New York keeps the game relatively close.
Giants vs. Cowboys Best Bets Summary
- Moneyline: Giants (+160). The Giants are struggling right now, but they still have enough talent to win an ugly game against a weak opponent.
- Spread: Giants +3.5 (-108). Even if the Giants don’t win, look for them to stay within a field goal and cover.
- Over/Under: Over 37 (-110). This is a low bar to clear, especially given Dallas’ defensive struggles and the offensive playmakers on both sides.
- Cooper Rush Over 205.5 Passing Yards (-115): Rush has gone well over this prop in his last two games and should keep rolling at home against a bad Giants team.
- Tyrone Tracy Over 64.5 Rushing Yards (-120): Tracy averages just under 80 rushing yards per game as a starter and is facing one of the league’s worst run defenses.
