Cowboys vs Falcons Same Game Parlay for Week 9: Dowdle Does It

The battered and tattered Dallas Cowboys will clunk their way upfield and settle for Rico Dowdle gains and Brandon Aubrey field goals, while the Atlanta Falcons fly high, as our Week 9 SGP picks explain.

Neil Parker - Analyst at Covers.com
Neil Parker • Betting Analyst
Nov 3, 2024 • 09:50 ET • 4 min read
Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle (23) runs for a touchdown against New York Giants linebacker Micah McFadden (41)
Photo By - Imagn Images. Pictured: Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle runs for a touchdown against New York Giants linebacker Micah McFadden.

The Atlanta Falcons have won four of their past five games and host the reeling Dallas Cowboys with the chance to pad their lead in the NFC South on Sunday, November 3.

Dallas sandwiched its Week 7 bye with consecutive losses, and our top Cowboys vs. Falcons predictions and NFL picks expect Atlanta to take care of business at home in Week 9.

Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, with the game airing on FOX. 

Cowboys vs Falcons SGP for Week 9

Falcons moneyline

Rico Dowdle Over 9.5 rushing attempts

Brandon Aubrey Over 1.5 field goals made

Just how good the Atlanta Falcons are is left to be determined, but I’m confident they’re plenty good enough to beat the broken Dallas Cowboys at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Week 9.

Atlanta ranks higher in both offensive and defensive DVOA and PFF grades, and the Falcons have a higher EPA per play on offense while allowing a lower mark on defense. The Dallas stop unit is also particularly bad.

Badder than bad, even.

The Cowboys are 29th in defensive DVOA and allow the third-highest EPA per play, including the highest EPA per rush. It’s translated to allowing the second-most points per game (28.3).

Another reason I give Atlanta an edge is because Dallas head coach and play caller Mike McCarthy isn’t going to abandon the run. I’m expecting running back Rico Dowdle to handle a healthy workload after having double-digit carries in Weeks 4 and 5 as he ascended to being the clear No. 1 rusher. 

The Week 6 blowout to the Detroit Lions limited Dowdle to just five totes, and he missed last week’s game against the San Francisco 49ers because of an illness. It was No. 2 back Ezekiel Elliott who handled 10 carries in Week 8, but I’m anticipating Dowdle to return to being the go-to rusher and handle double-digit carries again regardless of his effectiveness.

McCarthy’s stubbornness alongside the Falcons sporting a middling run defense positions Dowdle to have some success on the ground and go Over this total. Atlanta has allowed the 12th-most yards and fifth-highest rushing success rate allowed while also ranking 24th in tackle grade per PFF, after all.

Turning to the final leg of this same-game parlay, Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey had two or more field goals in each of the first six games of the season before hitting his lone field-goal attempt last week.

Aubrey has attempted 20 field goals and connected on 18 through seven games, and he’s also connected for eight of nine from 50 yards or longer. It also helps that the Cowboys turn red-zone visits into touchdowns at the second-lowest rate (42.1%) in the NFL.

I also value this SGP leg because it isn’t correlated with the Falcons moneyline, yet it still extends our odds nicely for a prop that’s trading at a -170 price as a straight bet.

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Betting Analyst

Neil Parker is, first and foremost, a sports fan. A huge supporter of the Cowboys, Cubs, and Maple Leafs, he has managed to parlay his passion into writing gigs with Sportsbook Review, USA TODAY, theScore, DraftKings Playbook, and RotoWire, among many others. He also co-hosted the Daily Fantasy Edge podcast and can now be seen offering expert golf and hockey advice on Covers’ Before you Bet broadcast.

Neil takes a numbers-based approach to his handicapping and complements his in-depth statistical analysis with a keen eye on the markets to provide the best available odds. He loves to lean on his rolodex of idioms to offset his inner nerd. When it comes to wagering, he throws down on anything that catches his eye at bet365, Betway and BetVictor. He also keeps a close eye on CoolBet because the polar bear brand often has outlier NHL and NFL moneyline prices.

Neil graduated with honors from St. Thomas University in 2007 before completing his BEd at Acadia University in 2010. After teaching a myriad of courses and subjects, he found a groove delivering fun lessons to exceptional learners in non-traditional classroom environments. If his decade-plus teaching run taught him anything about sports betting, it’s to stay the course and use the summer – or offseason – to refresh and prepare to be better in the year to come.

Neil’s top pieces of advice for recreational bettors are to stay within your means and to remember sportsbooks aren’t bank accounts. Don’t be afraid to pull those winnings and treat yourself to a lifetime experience courtesy of a big win.

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