Week 13 of the 2023 NFL season kicks off on Thursday Night Football with an intriguing NFC matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks. Things get started at 8:15 PM ET at AT&T Stadium. Dallas continues to trend in the right direction and just beat the Washington Commanders 45-10 on Thanksgiving, their third win in a row. As for Seattle, they’ve lost two straight, falling to the San Francisco 49ers in a divisional clash on Turkey Day. The NFC West squad really needs a victory here in order to keep their playoff aspirations alive. Below, find the Seahawks vs Cowboys picks.
The Cowboys are a big moneyline favorite here at -415. The Seahawks come back at +320. Dallas is also laying nine points on the spread while the total is set at 46.5. These two teams haven’t met since 2020 but Seattle has actually won four of the last five meetings dating back to 2015. Something to keep an eye on.
Can Seahawks Bounce Back?
Seattle is 6-5 on the year which is good enough for second in the NFC West and although they’re still in the playoff mix as a Wild Card, the Seahawks must get back on track or else those postseason hopes will fade. First, it was a heartbreaking 17-16 loss to the LA Rams in Week 11 before Brock Purdy and Co. absolutely destroyed Seattle on Thanksgiving. San Fran outgained the Hawks 377-220 and Christian McCaffrey alone scored two touchdowns and had 114 yards rushing.
For Pete Carroll’s team, they struggled to muster up offense against one of the better defenses in the league. Geno Smith completed 18 of 27 passes for just 180 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception while getting sacked six times, which isn’t exactly his fault. The 49ers held Seattle to 88 rushing yards and only 132 passing yards. Really no one shined in this game, with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett both reeling in just three catches apiece.
The Seahawks are a pretty average team in all areas this year, scoring only 20.8 points per night and allowing 22.6. They’ve now lost three of their last four games, too. It’s not the best time to go cold and unfortunately, this next stretch could make or break Seattle. After visiting Dallas, it’s San Francisco on the road before hosting the Philadelphia Eagles, who may just be the best team in the NFL. It’s time for the Seahawks to buckle down.
Cowboys Are Thriving
I know, I know. Dallas always tends to do well in the regular season before choking in the playoffs. Yes, that may happen again but for the time being, America’s Team is absolutely flourishing. The Cowboys are scoring a league-best 31.5 points per contest and rank fifth in total yards with 392.5. Dak Prescott could be having his best season ever, completing 70% of his passes for 2,935 yards and 23 touchdowns against a mere six interceptions. Dak is in the zone and we saw just that on Thanksgiving.
En route to 45 points, Prescott was 22 for 32 for 331 yards and four passing touchdowns. Four different receivers had TDs as well. Brandin Cooks led the way out wide with four receptions for 72 yards. CeeDee Lamb also had four grabs for 53 yards. Funny enough, the Cowboys actually had more first downs and nearly as many yards as Dallas, but Mike McCarthy’s squad simply capitalized on their opportunities and Washington did not.
While it’s going to be tough to win the NFC East when the Eagles are 10-1, the Cowboys’ 8-3 record is very respectable in itself. On this current three-game winning streak, Dallas has outscored their opponents 127-37. Sure, the Giants, Panthers, and Commanders aren’t the most difficult opponents, but it’s hard to ignore this team’s ability to put up points in bunches. Defensively, they’re top-five in numerous categories as well.
Seahawks vs Cowboys Picks
Seattle isn’t proving much lately on either side of the ball and Dallas is a perfect 5-0-0 at home this season. A nine-point spread isn’t huge, but they’ve been blowing out opponents as of late. I expect the Cowboys to comfortably cover and move to 9-3.
Quinn Allen is a journalist who specializes in writing sports betting previews. He holds a senior editor position at ClutchPoints. He has been contributing to Vegas Betting as a writer since 2022.