The Tennessee Titans welcome the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football for what is undoubtedly a must-win game for both teams. It’s also the final TNF game of the 2022 regular season.
The Titans saw their grip on the AFC South title slip through their fingers behind a loss to the Houston Texans, while the Cowboys advanced their bid for the NFC East title – slim as it is – with a critical win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16.
The stakes are high. The NFL odds are in full swing. Predictably, this game is cornered with the visiting ‘Boys but to the tune of -500 on the Moneyline and -10½ on the spread. The total, in the meanwhile, is a modest 40½ point.
We’ve constructed a two-leg, same-game parlay for your consideration using the aforementioned odds. Find out which side we are backing and how we line up for this parlay bet below.
Let’s check the latest NFL odds, stats, injury reports, and NFL lines for Cowboys vs Titans. We’ve plenty of Vegas NFL odds and NFL week 17 picks for you to consider.
Cowboys vs Titans Same-Game Parlay
- First Leg: Cowboys -10½ (-110)
- Second Leg: Under 40½ (-110)
Same-Game Parlay Odds Calculated: +264
First Leg: Cowboys -10½
Losing to the worst team in the NFL, the Houston Texans, on Christmas Eve was the latest in a long line of setbacks that sees Tennessee riding a five-game losing streak into Week 17 and losing its grip on the division title. It would seem that injuries have fully caught up with the Titans and are threatening to topple their season once and for all.
Rookie quarterback Malik Willis, stepping in for an injured Ryan Tannehill, was unable to conjure anything remotely commendable on the offensive side of the ball in Tennessee’s disappointing 19-14 loss to the Texans in Week 16. Sure, it was always going to be a daunting ask for the rookie with a makeshift offense. Then again, he didn’t cover himself in glory either by throwing two interceptions or taking four sacks. The only bright spot on an otherwise forgettable Christmas weekend was Derrick Henry’s 126 yards on 23 carries.
Willis is a work in progress. Henry can’t do it all. And oh, yeah, Willis is set to make his primetime football debut! Just by these few statements, one should be able to appreciate the magnitude of the task before the Titans on Thursday night, never mind pulling off the upset or keeping the game close against a talented and explosive Cowboys team.
Don’t ever disrespect Dak Prescott again & Merry Christmas @CutonDime25 #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/vD85CsFUl6
— Ernie (@es3_09) December 25, 2022
Yes, the Titans have a reputation for being a no-nonsense football team that is gritty and tough to beat, especially when playing in Nashville. They also don’t often get blown out.
But all that goes out of the window here.
The fact is, the Titans are showing cracks. Offensively superior teams and/or elite quarterbacks have been able to expose their flaws. That includes two of their last five losses, which featured double-digit margins of defeat – lost to the Eagles by 25 points and then to the Jaguars by 14 points.
So, although laying 10½ points could feel like it’s a big spread to swallow, this is one occasion where it might not be big enough.
Second Leg: Over 40½
For the second leg of this parlay, the over 40½ holds appeal and not because we are expecting both of these offenses to light up as Prescott and Willis go toe-to-toe. On the contrary, this has all the hallmarks of being a whitewash affair, with America’s favorite team romping to victory in a big way.
By the strength of Prescott’s offensive prowess and the talent around him, the Cowboys should crack this total almost single-handedly. After all, the Cowboys’ offense ranks third overall with 28.9 points per game (ppg) this season compared to the Titans, who’ve averaged 17.9 ppg (27th) on the season and 16.7 ppg in their last three games.
2 plays from Malik Willis yesterday showing “No Hope” #Titans pic.twitter.com/ybhd4fq9UL
— Sal From Jerrrssseeeyyy (@salmanfredi) December 19, 2022
Moreover, Dallas’ scoring has gone up to 33.7 ppg (second-best) in their last three games. The Cowboys have scored 40-plus points in a game four times already.
On the flip side, the defense is among the best in the game, sixth overall in scoring with 20.2 ppg allowed. They’re also Top 10 against the pass, which doesn’t bode well for Willis.
Titans running back Henry could leverage a weaker Cowboys run defense, but even if he does all of the heavy liftings for the Titans offense on the ground, it’s still going to be hard to keep pace with the Cowboy’s passing game.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
