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Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings Predictions, Odds, Picks

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
5 minute read
Oct. 31, 2021
Michael Crosson
VI Betting Expert
VegasInsider.com

The eighth weekend of regular-season NFL action will conclude with a heavyweight Sunday Night Football matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings. Coverage begins at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.

Week 8 NFL Picks & Predictions

Games Scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET

Score Prediction

Cowboys 34, Vikings 24

Best Bets

Cowboys +3

Ezekiel Elliott (DAL/RB) Over 73 Rushing Yards

Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings Predictions

After finishing third in the NFC East with a record of 6-10 last year, Dallas drew an incredibly tough opening matchup to kick things off in Week 1, as the Cowboys hit the road to face Tampa Bay in Dak Prescott’s first appearance since suffering a season-ending ankle injury last October.

The Cowboys lost their season-opener to Tampa Bay in heartbreaking fashion (L, 31-29), but since that loss, Dallas has played phenomenal – highlighted by Prescott and company entering Week 8 riding a five-game winning streak, while scoring a league-best 35.2 PPG across that time frame.

On the other hand, Minnesota stumbled out to a disappointing 1-3 start to the season – highlighted by the Vikings dropping a trio of matchups against the Bengals, Cardinals, and Browns across Weeks 1 through 4, with their only victory during that time frame coming against the ailing Seahawks.

Since their wretched start though, the Vikings have seemingly figured some things out, considering Minnesota squeaked out victories over the Lions and Panthers in their latest two affairs (+8). I’ll take the points with the Cowboys here, as Dallas currently leads the league in scoring at 34.2 PPG – while Minnesota typically doesn’t near that high level of offensive production.

Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings Betting Odds

More Odds | Futures Odds


The Vikings head into Sunday night’s contest favored by roughly a field goal over the visiting Cowboys – marking the first time Dallas has been an underdog since Week 2.


The total for Sunday’s affair is stationed around OU 52 at most shops, which leans towards the higher side of the spectrum for a matchup containing either of these teams.


Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings Betting Resources

  • Matchup: NFC East vs. NFC North
  • Date: Sunday, October 31, 2021
  • Venue: U.S. Bank Stadium
  • Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • TV-Time: NBC - 8:20 p.m. ET

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Week 8 NFL Picks & Predictions

Games Scheduled for 4:00 p.m. ET through 8:20 p.m. ET

Dallas Cowboys Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

  • SU: 5-1
  • ATS: 6-0
  • O/U: 5-1
  • ATS - Home: 3-0
  • ATS - Away: 3-0

After completely falling apart without Prescott last year, Dallas immediately faced an enormous test to kick off the new season, as the Cowboys ventured to Tampa Bay to face the defending champs for their highly anticipated first matchup of the year.

The Cowboys may have lost their season-opener in Tampa, however, they still seemingly passed the test with flying colors – considering Dallas traded blows through a back-and-forth shootout against the Bucs’ in Week 1, and Tampa managed to narrowly escape with a victory on a walk-off field goal (L, 31-29).

If the Cowboys elect to play things safe with Prescott (calf) and hold him out of Sunday night’s affair, then all bets are off regarding Dallas – but if Dak is indeed healthy enough to play, the Cowboys plus any amount of points seems like a total no-brainer here.

Minnesota Vikings Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

  • SU: 3-3
  • ATS: 3-3
  • O/U: 3-3
  • ATS - Home: 1-2
  • ATS - Away: 2-1

After stumbling out to a disappointing 1-3 start to the season, the Vikings fell off the league’s radar for a few weeks as they squared off in slightly less compelling matchups against the Lions and Panthers the last two weeks.

The Vikings ended up escaping with incredibly narrow victories in both matchups – but if the ball bounced the wrong way in either of those games and Minnesota dropped one of them, we very well could be discussing this Vikings team in a far more critical light.


The Dallas Cowboys have gone OVER the point total in eight of their last nine games when facing the NFC. (AP)

Inside the Stats - Dallas Cowboys

  • Record: 5-1
  • Division Standing: 1st - NFC East
  • Points Scored: 205
  • Points Allowed: 146
  • PS/G: 34.2 (1st)
  • PA/G: 24.3 (20th)

Inside the Stats - Minnesota Vikings

  • Record: 3-3
  • Division Standing: 2nd - NFC North
  • Points Scored: 147
  • Points Allowed: 137
  • PS/G: 24.5 (14th)
  • PA/G: 22.8 (13th)

Key Players to Watch

  • DAL: Dak Prescott - QB (158/216, 1,813 yards, 16 TD, 4 INT)
  • DAL: Ezekiel Elliott - RB (102 carries, 521 yards, 5 TD)
  • MIN: Kirk Cousins - QB (166/239, 1,769 yards, 13 TD, 2 INT)
  • MIN: Adam Thielen - WR (37 catches, 393 yards, 5 TD)

Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings Betting Conclusion

After knocking off Carolina in thrilling fashion on the road last week (W, 34-28 OT), the Vikings will return home in Week 8 as field goal favorites over the visiting Cowboys – marking the first time Dallas has been an underdog since Week 2.

I’ll take the points with the Cowboys here, as Dallas has generated 35.2 PPG on 462.8 YPG across its latest five-game winning streak – and Minnesota just doesn’t appear to wield the offensive firepower to keep pace with that level of production.

Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings Betting Trends

  • Dallas has covered the spread in six straight games.
  • Dallas has won five straight games.
  • Ezekiel Elliott has scored a TD in four of his last five games.
  • Minnesota has failed to cover the spread in six of its last seven home games.
  • Ezekiel Elliott has seen 95 or more rushing yards in three of his last four games.

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