Cowboys vs. Falcons predictions, picks and best bets: London Calling

Get set for an exciting NFC Conference showdown when the Atlanta Falcons welcome the Dallas Cowboys to Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Dallas, which enters this matchup with many injuries, hopes to end a two-game losing streak. The Falcons have won four of their last five and hope to continue distancing themselves in the standings from their NFC South rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Today’s clash has the highest total on the board. Read on as I explain my Cowboys vs. Falcons predictions and best bets for what I expect to be a thrilling game.

Cowboys vs. Falcons predictions and best bets for NFL Week 9

• Dak Prescott Over 263.5 passing yards: -110 at bet365
• Kirk Cousins Over 245.5 passing yards: -114 at FanDuel
• Drake London Over 63.5 receiving yards: -114 at FanDuel

Sunday’s Week 9 clash between the Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons has the highest total on the board.

The only thing Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has consistently done is throw the football. He’ll likely be playing from a deficit and forced by the game script to clear his passing yardage prop for the fourth time this season.

The Atlanta Falcons defense is in the bottom third in passing attempts allowed (269) and has the worst completion percentage (72.5%) in the NFL. The completions should lead to big yardage, which is likely why the 51.5-point total tops the Week 9 betting boards.

Falcons’ QB Kirk Cousins has had mixed results. He’s cleared his passing yards prop in four of his seven games, and I like his chances of turning this contest into a shootout. The Dallas secondary allows 216 passing yards per game, but Cousins is starting to look like the pre-Achilles quarterback that lit up the scoreboard.

Playing indoors doesn’t only benefit the quarterbacks, but also wideouts like Falcons WR Drake London. He’s become a favorite of Cousins and has cleared his receiving yards prop four times this season. London is the most targeted Falcons receiver, boasting six adjusted catches per game per Fantasy Pros. If London grabs six passes, he’ll easily clear his receiving yards prop.

Cowboys vs. Falcons moneyline odds analysis

Why Falcons could win as the favorite

Best odds: -148 at DraftKings

The Falcons have won four of their previous five games, and their offense is beginning to gel with Cousins under center.

Atlanta should feel good after overtaking the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8 for a slim NFC South lead over the Bucs. They should also feel good about how the offense has lit up the scoreboard with +26 points in four of their last five.

The Falcons allow 24 points per contest and 13 TD receptions thus far. Cousins has a difficult arm to keep out of the end zone, which bodes well for the Falcons against a banged-up Cowboys defense missing several players, including All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons and CB DaRon Bland.

If the offense can keep up its high-scoring ways, Atlanta should beat Dallas. The Falcons have momentum in their favor and meet a talented, but mediocre Cowboys offense they can outscore. Dallas has scored only 33 points across its last two games, and could be ripe for the picking.

Why Cowboys could win as the underdog

Best odds: +135 at Caesars

This is a must-win game for the Cowboys. Dallas has dropped two straight, but on paper, they are the better team. The problem is that the paper is stained by injury. The group hardly resembles the 2023 team that won the NFC East with a 12-5 record.

That could all change on Sunday. Dallas has lost four games. Three of the teams the Cowboys lost to (San Francisco, Detroit, and Baltimore) are the class of the league this season. Atlanta may be red-hot, but its defense is exploitable. Prescott can carve up the Falcons’ defense like a Thanksgiving turkey (Atlanta allows 6.6 yards per play).

Dallas’ defense will need to make stops. Thus far, the Cowboys haven’t. The ‘Boys have allowed the sixth-worst second-half defense at 13.4 ppg. That number that climbs to 14.5 ppg when Dallas is in visitor’s jerseys. If the Cowboys can get the second-half stops, they can outscore Atlanta and win this game.