Dallas Cowboys Odds & Playoff Picks vs 49ers!

When the Dallas Cowboys won a third Super Bowl in just four years way back in January 1996, what would the odds have been they’d wait at least 27 years for another?

But that’s the deal for America’s Team – a quarter century of misery with Jerry Jones floundering while the rest of the country laughs at his entitled fanbase. A little bit like a major title drought for the Yankees in baseball or Man Utd in soccer.

When Dak Prescott went down in the opening loss to Tampa Bay, 2022 appeared set to be another exercise in futility for the Cowboys. But not so fast – they are now still alive in the postseason after ending with a 12-5 record and then knocking off Tom Brady and the Bucs in the Wild Card round.

Next up is a showdown to really get excited about – a trip to San Francisco to face the red-hot 49ers. Time to dust off all those memories of those epic NFC title games of the 80s and 90s.

Here is the latest intel heading into Sunday’s big matchup in Santa Clara (6.30pm ET – FOX).

Cowboys vs 49ers Picks & Predictions

Dallas is a 4-point underdog heading into the weekend, with the Over/Under for total points set at 46.5. The Cowboys have a major doubt over OT Jason Peters (hip), while they are hopeful that S Jayron Kearse will suit up despite the MCL sprain he suffered in the win in Tampa.

Kicker Brett Maher meanwhile appears likely to hang onto his job for this one despite missing four (FOUR) extra points against the Bucs.

We gave you two winning predictions for the Wild Card round – Dallas (-2.5) against the spread and Dak Prescott to go Over his number for Passing Yards. Here are our picks for the massive playoff collision in the Bay Area late on Sunday:

Cowboys vs 49ers Over 46.5 Total Points (-110, PointsBet)

Two terrific teams lock horns in Santa Clara on Sunday, and while they both have good defenses (great in San Francisco’s case) there is reason to believe this will deliver plenty of points.

The Niners kicked off their playoff bid by racking up 41 points in that defeat of Seattle, while Dallas scored 31 in the win at Tampa Bay. Both teams have weapons galore and enough chinks in their secondaries to give opposing passing attacks at least some hope.

If we get the Dak Prescott we saw in Tampa, and ‘Mr Irrelevant’ Brock Purdy continues to pull the strings effectively for a high-powered San Fran attack, this should be a terrific shootout with a very close ending.

The current line for Total points is set at 46.5, and we love the Over there. Take it.

CeeDee Lamb Anytime Touchdown (+155, PointsBet)

CeeDee is finally growing into the true WR1 Dallas envisaged when it spent a first-round pick on him in the 2020 NFL Draft. He has racked up 466 receiving yards in his last 5 starts, and has 4 TDs in his last 4 games.

Lamb was again productive in last week’s win in Tampa, and he has to come up big here if Dallas is to upset the odds and progress to its first NFC title game since early 1996. We love his odds to find the endzone again.

What are the odds for the Cowboys to win the Super Bowl?

Okay, we know it’s been 26 years, and will be at least 27 before Jerry holds another Lombardi Trophy aloft. So what about the chances of the long drought ending in Glendale in early 2023?

Dallas started the year at +2200 going into the season opener to win Super Bowl LVII next year in Glendale. Those odds doubled to +4500 when Dak went down, but the Cowboys are now just +1000 to win the big one after a 27-year wait.

When did the Dallas Cowboys last win a Super Bowl?

You have to go back more than a quarter of a century like we said. The only constant during that period of futility = Jerry Jones. After scooping three Lombardi trophies in four year (thanks to Jimmy Johnson) things have been thin since.

The third of those Super Bowl wins was the most recent for the Cowboys, as Johnson’s replacement Barry Switzer managed to get a talent-laden roster over the line = just.

A late-season implosion almost blew any chance of Dallas winning it all, but they made the playoffs with a 12-4 record and then saw off the Eagles and Packers in playoff games at Texas Stadium.

Then the Cowboys won Super Bowl XXX in a game played in Tempe, Arizona on Sunday January 28, 1996.

Dallas was a heavy favorite to defeat the AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers, but made heavy weather of doing so. it took two Larry Brown interceptions (of two horrible Neil O’Donnell throws) to clinch a 27-17 victory.

Cowboys odds to win the NFC East division

Forget this one, Dallas – which had been a strong favorite heading into the season – struck out as the 14-3 Philadelphia Eagles beat them to the NFC East title.

Cowboys odds to win the NFC Championship

It’s 27 years and counting since Dallas played in the NFC title game, let alone won it. This after appearing in four straight between 1992-1995. Thin times indeed.

Dallas had been +1000 going into the 2022 season but went out to +1800 when Dak went down. Now the Cowboys are third favorite behind the big guns Philly and San Francisco.

Can the Cowboys make the Playoffs?

No need to ask this question any more. Dallas is going to the dance, so no more odds.

How many regular season wins in 2022?

The season line for Dallas opened at 10.5 the Cowboys covered that comfortably.

Ezekiel Elliott Odds

Ezekiel Elliott has the biggest (and the worst) contract for any running back in the NFL – from a team perspective. This is a crossroads year for #21 – if he doesn’t star in 2022 then he is likely on his way out of ‘Big D’.

Zeke’s declining numbers though do leave an opportunity for bettors – they don’t take into account the torn knee ligament that really hurt his 2021 season, or the fact Dallas will have to run heavily early in 2022. They are short on WR talent after the departure of Amari Cooper and that torn ACL for the rehabbing Michael Gallup.

Sportsbooks responded to all of this by making Zeke’s Over/Under for 2022 rushing yards very low in 2022 – at least in our humble opinion. It was absolutely a play for us and the bet won as Zeke covered a line of 850 yards by finishing on 876.

Dallas Cowboys ATS

Dallas was 13-5 against the spread (ATS) on the 2021 season. It is now 11-7 in 2022, faltering a little down the stretch after a league-leading fast start.

Dallas Cowboys 2022 Schedule & how to watch on TV

Okay so the 2022 NFL schedule for your Cowboys is here:

• September 11: 3-19 vs Tampa Bay Buccanners (8.20pm ET, NBC)
• September 18: 20-17 vs Cincinnati Bengals (4.25pm ET, CBS)
• September 26: 23-16 @ New York Giants (8.15pm ET, ESPN/ABC)
• October 2: 25-10 vs Washington Commanders (1pm ET, FOX)
• October 9: 22-10 Los Angeles Rams (4.25pm ET, FOX)
• October 16: 17-26 @ Philadelphia Eagles (8.20pm ET, NBC)
• October 23: 24-6 vs Detroit Lions (1pm ET, CBS)
• October 30: 49-29 vs Chicago Bears (1pm ET, FOX)
• November 13: 28-31 @ Green Bay Packers (OT) (4.25pm ET, FOX)
• November 20: 40-3 @ Minnesota Vikings (4.25pm ET, CBS)
• November 24: 28-20 vs New York Giants (4.30pm ET, FOX)
• December 4: 54-19 vs Indianapolis Colts (8.20pm ET, NBC)
• December 11: 27-23 vs Houston Texans (1pm ET, FOX)
• December 18: 34-40 Jacksonville Jaguars (OT) (1pm ET, FOX)
• December 24: 40-34 vs Philadelphia Eagles (4.25pm ET, FOX)
• December 29: 27-13 vs Tennessee Titans (8.15pm ET, Amazon Prime Video)
• January 8: 6-26 vs Washington Commanders (4.25pm ET, FOX)
• January 16: 31-14 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8.15pm ET, ESPN/ABC)
• January 22: +4 @ San Francisco 49ers (6.30pm ET, FOX)

As ever the Cowboys have a ton of primetime games on national TV. There are three games on Sunday Night Football, kicking off with the season opener vs Tom Brady and the Bucs. Dallas had just one game on Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football, the trip to Tennessee on December 29. There was also just one outing in front of the new Monday Night Football announcing crew of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman – that Week 3 win over the Giants in New York. The Cowboys do now get Joe and Troy again for the playoff trip to Tampa.

Strength Of Schedule in 2022

The Dallas Cowboys do get some benefit from playing in the woeful NFC East. The four teams – including Dallas – rank 29-32 in strength of schedule for 22 – the easiest routes in the league to the postseason.

Dallas and Washington were T31 going into 2022 – they had the absolute easiest schedules at .462 based on the 2021 records of their 2022 opponents.

Dallas Cowboys 2022 Draft Picks

Dallas went into the 2022 Draft with some glaring needs on the back of losses via trade and free agency.

The most pressing needs appear to be an edge rusher, a wide receiver and a guard – and the last of those came in Round 1 on Thursday night. The Cowboys had the #24 overall pick and they took Tulsa OT Tyler Smith.

Smith is a nasty player – a real mauler – but he has issues in pass protection (a ton of holding penalties in 2021). He will likely start at LG to replace Connor Williams (sounds like for like with all those penalties) and will need to refine his craft in the pros. To be honest this looks like a reach at worse, a project with upside at best.

Instead of Smith, Dallas could have had any of the following studs:

• Florida State DE Jermaine Johnson
• Purdue DE George Karlaftis
• Georgia S Lewis Cine
• Iowa C Tyler Linderbaum
• Georgia LB Nakobe Dean
• Utah LB Devin Lloyd
• Georgia DT Devonte Wyatt

We’d have preferred any of those guys over Tyler. Oh well…this offseason just gets better (satire).

On Friday the Cowboys filled two more huge needs by selecting Ole Miss DE Sam Williams and South Alabama WR Jalen Tolbert. There is no doubting Williams’ potential, but he does come with some off-field concerns. Tolbert might be a nice WR3 with some polish and seasoning.

The rest of the Draft was a case of filling more gaps, including a tight end, a couple of linebackers, an offensive tackle and a nose tackle. We’ll find out in August how many of these guys make the team. As ever Dallas was busy signing undrafted free agents too.

The Dallas Cowboys draft picks in 2022 are as follows (overall pick number in brackets):

• Round 1 (24) – Tyler Smith (OT, Tulsa)
• Round 2 (56) – Sam Williams (DE, Ole Miss)
• Round 3 (88) – Jalen Tolbert (WR, South Alabama)
• Round 4 (129):- Jake Ferguson (TE, Wisconsin)
• Round 5 (155 from Cleveland) – Matt Waletzko (OT, North Dakota)
• Round 5 (167) – DaRon Bland (DB, Fresno State)
• Round 5 (176, compensatory)- Damone Clark (LB, LSU)
• Round 5 (178, compensatory) – John Ridgeway (DT, Arkansas)
• Round 6 (193 from Cleveland)  – Devin Harper (LB, Oklahoma State)

Dallas Cowboys Free Agency Timeline

• Another day, another WR departure. After trading Amari Cooper to Cleveland and seeing Cedric Wilson sign with Miami, Dallas allowed Malik Turner to sign a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49er

• When free agency started, the vibes were that Pro Bowl P Bryan Anger would be allowed to walk. Not so any more. Maybe it is the extra money available via Randy Gregory’s unexpected exit to Denver, but either way Anger is back in ‘Big D’ for another three years on a deal worth a total of $9million.

• Good news at last – Jayron Kearse will remain a Cowboy for at least the next two seasons. The safety, who was a revelation in 2021, has inked a two-year pact worth $10million and a max value of $11million. Great business for Dallas, retaining what was an important part of a very improved Dan Quinn defense in 2021.

• At last, Dallas is signing players who didn’t finish 2021 as a Cowboy. Only problem is, they’re doing what they always do – shopping in that cheaper second wave of free agency. The ‘Boys have signed former number 3 overall pick Dante Fowler to man that RDE spot opposite DeMarcus Lawrence, and also former Pittsburgh WR James Washington. Again Washington is a one-year deal – both are low-risk moves.

• A signing at last! Don’t get too excited though Cowboy fans, it’s only Leighton Vander Esch. The former first-round draft pick is returning for 2022 on a one-year deal. No terms as yet.

• Another shocking move in the Metroplex as the Cowboys release RT La’el Collins. Clearly the team fell out of love with one of the best linemen in the league, that suspension in 2021 likely had something to do with it. But like Amari Cooper, losing an elite player for nothing or next to nothing suggests the front office are not having a great offseason…

• Disaster struck in Dallas Tuesday, just hours after it looked like the Cowboys had pulled off a masterstroke. Following that DeMarcus Lawrence restructure, Dallas had the cap space to negotiate with DE Randy Gregory and managed to agree a five-year, $70million deal with the pass rusher. All good? Just wait a minute. Per Patrik Walker of CBS Sports, the Cowboys then tried to insert a clause/language into the agreement which torpedoed the whole deal. Enter the Denver Broncos, who subsequently outbid Dallas and make Randy a Bronco. Another shambolic episode from the Cowboys front office, and apparently Gregory is no longer a Cowboy not because of money, but because of that clause/language Dallas tried to insert into the contract.

• Tiny consolation after that Gregory bombshell, but the Cowboys have managed to re-sign S Malik Hooker. Cowboys Nation uttering the meekest of “Yay” at that news….

• Now of course the Cowboys are desperately scrambling to find an edge rusher to replace Gregory, and it appears that Von Miller is at the top of the list. There is mutual interest too – maybe the Cowboys will bring the DeSoto native back home.

• Great news (at last) for Cowboys Nation in that DE DeMarcus Lawrence is staying in Dallas. Lawrence has agreed a new three-year deal worth £30million (and possibly up to 40). The key bit here is it reduces his cap hit from $27million to $13million. As for D-Law, the entirety of the deal is fully guaranteed. Win-win.

• The final WR chip to fall for Dallas came Monday when Cedrick Wilson bolted for Miami in free agency. Wilson agreed a three-year deal worth $22.8million with $12.8million fully guaranteed.

• Just 24 hours on from trading Amari, and the ‘Boys have reportedly agreed that expected new deal with WR Michael Gallup. The numbers – per Adam Schefter of ESPN – are five years for $62.5million. The Cowboys a little discount here with Gallup rehabbing that torn ACL. Let’s hope he’s ready for camp…

• So it wasn’t just rumor after all – Amari Cooper is no longer a Dallas Cowboy. With that $22million salary for 2022 about to become guaranteed and no sign of a breakthrough in talks, the Cowboys pulled the trigger on a trade with the Cleveland Browns Saturday. Dallas gets a fifth-round pick for Cooper while the teams swap sixth-round picks. The Browns take on all of Cooper’s salary – and Dallas crucially saves $16million against the 2022 cap.

• After so much rumor in recent days about which player are leaving the team, at last a little fact again. K Greg Zuerlein has been released, while TE Blake Jarwin has been waived with an injury designation.

• Not a rumor this one, put it in the book as fact. Dallas has placed the franchise tag on TE Dalton Schultz just hours ahead of the March 8 deadline. He is on the books now for $10.834million in 2022 unless a long-term deal can be done by July 15. We don’t like this…he’s good – not great.