3 best prop bets for Cowboys vs Eagles Christmas Eve showdown (Hammer Tony Pollard)
By Jerry Trotta
The Dallas Cowboys will lock horns with the Philadelphia Eagles on Christmas Eve this week. Heading into last weekend, this matchup had game-of-the-year written all over it. After the Cowboys choked away a 17-point lead in Jacksonville, though, they lost any hope they had at supplanting Philly in the NFC East.
While Dallas is mathematically still alive in that regard, their odds are nearly impossible. All they had to do was take care of business against the Jaguars, who, while on the come-up, are a year away from making noise in the AFC.
That’s the unpredictability of the NFL for you. While the league surely isn’t thrilled Cowboys-Eagles has lost most of its allure, you still can’t top a Christmas Eve rivalry game that could be an NFC Championship Game preview.
The line has shifted heavily in Dallas’ favor following Jalen Hurts’ injury. With Gardner Minshew in line to start, the Cowboys have jumped to 4-point favorites. If you’d rather think outside the box for your holiday wagers, there are some prop bets that could result in serious fun (or heartbreak) on Christmas Eve.
3 Best Prop Bets for Cowboys vs Eagles for Week 13 Christmas Eve matchup
3. Cowboys moneyline, under 47.5 points scored (+176)
It was tempting to swap the moneyline with the 5.5-point spread, but can’t you envision Philly securing a backdoor cover with a late touchdown or field goal? The same thing happened against the Giants on Thanksgiving. Further, it’s difficult to trust Dallas to cover any line after their second half showing vs Jacksonville.
That said, we love the Cowboys to win outright, and Minshew replacing touchdown machine Jalen Hurts means less points will be scored. Rivalry games have a penchant for being low-scoring dogfights, so a barnburner feels unlikely.
2. DeVonta Smith anytime touchdown scorer (+210)
We hate to bet any Eagles player to score against Dallas, but this feels like easy money. With Trevon Diggs likely to match up against AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith should run roughshod against the Cowboys’ other cornerbacks.
Whether it’s Kelvin Joseph, Nahshon Wright, Mackensie Alexander, or Trayvon Mullen, the drop-off in talent on the boundary behind Diggs is substantial, and Smith is one of the more underrated complementary wideouts in the league.
1. Tony Pollard anytime touchdown scorer (+100)
Sometimes you have to ride the hot hand, and Pollard cannot be stopped right now. In his last three games, Pollard — just voted to his first Pro Bowl — has four touchdowns. He didn’t find pay dirt against the Jaguars, but he still racked up 106 scrimmage yards, and it’s a rarity these days that the fourth-year pro goes two straight games without scoring.
If the Eagles’ loaded defense has one weakness, it’s against the run, so expect the Cowboys to give Fletcher Cox and company a healthy dose of Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott. Both running backs could find the end zone, but we like Pollard to notch his 13 touchdown of the season Saturday evening in Arlington.
