Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers 2017: Week 7 Prediction, Betting Odds

The Dallas Cowboys return from their bye week with a matchup against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7 of the 2017 NFL season. San Francisco is still looking for their first win of the year, while Dallas has just one victory since the season opener.

The latest betting odds have Dallas favored by six points on the road, via OddsShark, and the over/under is 46. Here’s a closer look at the Week 7 game, as well as a prediction against the spread:

Why the Cowboys could cover the spread

As close as the 49ers have been in the last five weeks, bad teams find ways to lose games. San Francisco is a bad team, and they won’t have an easy time beating a legitimate playoff contender like Dallas.

The Cowboys are going to be able to move the ball against San Francisco. It’s what they’ve done in every game with the exception of Week 2 in Denver. Dallas is averaging 29.7 points over their last three games, and San Francisco has given up at least 26 points in three of their last four contests.

Only three teams have allowed fewer passing yards than the 49ers, and opposing quarterbacks have posted a 94.8 passer rating. Dak Prescott was on a roll before Dallas’ bye week, throwing for eight touchdowns and one interception with an average of 7.62 yards per attempt over the last three games. The Cowboys rank third in yards per play during that time.

Ezekiel Elliott will indeed be on the field, following concerns that he would have to begin serving his six-game suspension. Elliott is sixth in the NFL in yards per game, and he’s averaging 121.7 yards from scrimmage since Week 3.

Maybe C.J. Beathard will play well in his first-ever start, but it’s hard to know what to expect from the rookie. He completed just 52.8 percent of his passes when he took over for Brian Hoyer in Week 6, and that likely won’t get it done against Dallas Sunday.

Why the 49ers could cover the spread

It’s been a season of heartbreak for San Francisco. As one of two remaining winless teams, the 49ers’ 0-6 record doesn’t come close to telling the story of their first six weeks. The team has suffered five straight losses by three points or fewer, including a pair of overtime defeats on the road.

There are reasons to believe San Francisco will finally get over the hump and deliver Kyle Shanahan his first win as the team’s head coach. The 49ers return home for the first time in a month, hosting a team that is vulnerable for an upset.

Dallas has been the NFC East’s third-best team with 35 percent of the regular season in the books. A few changes on the offensive line seem to have made a difference in the running game, and not in a good way. The Cowboys’ defense has been the main source of their three losses, and it could be what finally puts the 49ers in the win column.

With a full week of practice as San Francisco’s starting quarterback, Beathard could put up some good numbers against a weak Dallas secondary. The Cowboys rank 27th in opponents’ passer rating, allowing the likes of Trevor Siemian and an aging Carson Palmer to play well. Hoyer was awful, for the most part, as the 49ers’ starting quarterback, and any upgrade at the position will help San Francisco immensely.

When the Cowboys got a lead in 2016, they would hand the ball off to Elliott and cruise to a victory. Their running game hasn’t been nearly as dominant in 2017, and it could struggle against the 49ers, who rank fifth-best in opponents’ yards per carry.

Prediction

Dallas is clearly the better team, but Sunday’s point spread doesn’t make much sense. The betting line indicates that the Cowboys would be 12-point home favorites over the 49ers, but San Francisco was only a 10-point road underdog at Washington in a game that they nearly won a week ago. The Cowboys certainly haven't looked like they are two points better than the Redskins.

San Francisco is 4-1 against the spread in their last five games. Dallas is just 3-9 against the spread, dating back to last season. That trend should continue Sunday with the 49ers having a real chance to beat the Cowboys outright.

San Francisco over Dallas, 29-27