Just one week after dropping games on Thanksgiving, the New Orleans Saints as well as the Dallas Cowboys will be back in action at Caesar’s Superdome on Thursday night.
Only one team will be able win this matchup, which will improve their NFC playoff outlook.
The final FPI prediction by ESPN for Thursday’s Saints-Cowboys game is out. The computer projects a close game. FPI shows that Dallas has 54.6 percent chance to win on the road, while New Orleans has 45.1 percent.
The Cowboys (7-4), are six-point favorites entering the game. Dallas has one of the best offenses in the league, and should be back to full strength by kickoff. After missing the Las Vegas Raiders’ loss, Amari Cooper (COVID-19), and Ceedee lamb (concussion), wide receivers are expected to return. Ezekiel Elliott (knee), is also likely to return.
Due to COVID-19, six Cowboys coaches will not be available for Thursday’s matchup. Mike McCarthy, the Cowboys’ head coach, was one of them. He had tested positive earlier in the week for the virus.
The Saints (5-6), have a completely different injury outlook to the Cowboys heading into Thursday’s matchup. New Orleans is a mess and will be without Alvin Kamara, the Cowboys’ star running back, and starting tackles Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk – all of whom have knee injuries.
In an attempt to end their three-game skid, the Saints will make a quarterback change. Trevor Siemian will be replaced by Taysom Hill who has just returned from a foot injury.
Although the Cowboys are the odds-on favorite to win on Thursday, the game will be played in New Orleans so anything could happen.
Kickoff for Saints Cowboys is set for 8:20 p.m. ET. FOX will broadcast the game.