Thursday Night Football odds, spread: Cowboys vs. Saints picks, NFL predictions from top expert on 30-20 roll

The New Orleans Saints (5-6) will enter Thursday Night Football looking to end a four-game losing streak. Taysom Hill is expected to get his first start at quarterback and will face a Dallas Cowboys (7-4) team that is also coming off a Thanksgiving Day loss. The Cowboys have lost three of their last four games and they also lost their head coach after Mike McCarthy tested positive for COVID-19. Recent Cowboys vs. Saints matchups have been closely contested, as the Saints won by two points in a 2019 matchup after the Cowboys won by three points in 2018.

Kickoff from the Superdome in New Orleans is set for 8:20 p.m. ET. Dallas is a six-point favorite in the latest Cowboys vs. Saints odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 46. Before you make any Saints vs. Cowboys picks or TNF predictions, be sure to check out what red-hot SportsLine NFL expert Emory Hunt has to say.

Hunt is the founder and CEO of Football Gameplan, which has been supplying analysis of all levels of football since 2007, and a former running back at Louisiana-Lafayette. He knows the game from a player's perspective.

Hunt has had a lot of success in games involving the Dallas Cowboys. He went 30-20-1 in his last 51 against-the-spread picks in Dallas games, returning $920 to $100 players. Anyone who has followed him is way up.

Now, Hunt has broken down Cowboys vs. Saints from every angle and just locked in his expert NFL picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his TNF picks. Now, here are the NFL odds and betting lines for Cowboys vs. Saints:
• DAL: Under has hit in four of the last five Cowboys games
• NO: Saints are 4-1 against the spread as home underdogs



Why the Cowboys can cover

Dallas' key players are returning to the lineup just as the Saints' most important players are exiting. The Cowboys are expected to welcome back Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb after the former missed two games due to COVID while Lamb missed one because of a concussion. This season, Dak Prescott has a 110.8 passer rating when both receivers are in the lineup compared to a 83.1 rating when at least one is absent.

As for New Orleans, the Saints will again be without running back Alvin Kamara, who is the fulcrum of the Saints' offensive attack on the ground and through the air. Also, both starting offensive tackles are sidelined for New Orleans just as the Cowboys' best pass-rusher, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, returns from IR. New Orleans has lost its last two games by double-digits and all of these absences should again make it tough for the Saints to remain competitive.

Why the Saints can cover

New Orleans has a solid defense led by defensive end Cameron Jordan, who has a sack in two of his last three home games. He has 15.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss in 11 career games on Thursday and needs one sack for his 10th consecutive five-sack season. Jordan has 37 tackles, including 22 solo, this season and six tackles for loss. He has one forced fumble and four pass breakups.

Safety Marcus Williams has also come up big for the Saints, registering a season-high nine tackles in Week 12. For the year, Williams is third on the team in tackles with 56, including 38 solo. He has seven pass breakups, two interceptions and one forced fumble. He has played well against Dallas in the past, recording an interception in his last meeting against the Cowboys.

How to make Cowboys vs. Saints picks

We can tell you that Hunt is leaning under the total in this matchup, but he has discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He's sharing what it is, and which side of the Cowboys vs. Saints spread to back, only at SportsLine.

Who wins Saints vs. Cowboys on Thursday Night Football? And what critical x-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Saints vs. Cowboys spread you need to jump on, all from the expert who's 30-20 on Dallas picks, and find out.