We turned a profit by going 3-1 on NFL preseason picks last weekend, and I’m hoping for a similar outcome this time around. Every week, I’ll post my top picks on Monday and provide an update before each game — you can check out all of my NFL preseason Week 2 picks here. Let’s dig into today’s Cowboys-Seahawks betting odds as we make our predictions and pick the best NFL preseason bet! The market has moved against our top Cowboys-Seahawks pick, but I love the current number even more.
Looking for more 2023 NFL predictions? OddsShopper’s experts are here to break down the upcoming NFL season — make sure to check out the rest of our NFL articles, including our NFC North and NFC West previews. Come back during the NFL season for our market-based betting model’s picks and best bets — or try it out for Week 1 now!
Cowboys-Seahawks Pick & Preseason Betting Prediction
Cowboys-Seahawks Betting Odds
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Cowboys: +230 | Seahawks: -280
Cowboys +7: -110 | Seahawks -7: -110
Over 37.5: -110 | Under 37.5: -110
Cowboys-Seahawks Pick & Prediction
If you checked out the early week column, you’d notice that the market has moved against us slightly for this game. Not to worry — I’m sticking to my guns. Full-touchdown spreads in the preseason are silly, and I’m genuinely unsure what people have seen from the Seahawks that warrants such a big advantage. Sure, they looked great in Week 1. They were also playing the Minnesota Vikings’ reserves, which, if you have checked out our NFC North preview, you’d know I’m skeptical of.
The Cowboys should not be such massive dogs. They only lost their first preseason game because of a miraculous touchdown pass by Nathan Rourke and were overall quite efficient. The Cowboys racked up 376 yards and 23 points on 69 plays, good for 5.2 yards per play. That kind of production is usually good enough to win a preseason game, and it’s definitely good enough to keep one within a touchdown.
While Dallas has a clear starting quarterback in Dak Prescott, there could be some controversy as to his backup. Cooper Rush looked great last season and played well in Week 1, completing 83.3% of his passes for 5.5 NY/A. However, third-string quarterback Will Grier also looked impressive, completing 70.9% of his passes for 5 NY/A and, importantly, two touchdowns. Grier, a 28-year-old former third-round pick, has had a roster spot on the Cowboys either on the practice squad or active roster since 2021 and won’t want to mess it up — and him taking Rush’s spot as a backup isn’t out of the question if he can play well enough.
The Seahawks don’t have nearly as much potential controversy on offense. Geno Smith is the starter — his new $105 million contract dictates as much. Drew Lock is the backup as his one-year, $4 million contract suggests. That leaves rookie Holton Ahlers as the clear third-string option, likely to get a 53-man roster spot just because of the new emergency quarterback rule.
Although motivation wasn’t an issue for either Lock or Ahlers in Week 1, as they combined to complete 75% of their passes for 7.8 NY/A, it’s possible that the Seahawks move to reduce Lock’s snaps as the preseason progresses. Seattle ended up compiling 340 yards and 24 points on 55 plays, good for 6.2 yards per play with him at the helm for most of the game. Those are solid numbers, but they aren’t so much better than Dallas’ to warrant such a big advantage.
Let’s trust the Cowboys to cover a generous spread. I suspect that Seattle’s incredible offensive production in Week 1 isn’t sustainable, especially if Lock sees less run in Week 2. Although Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy doesn’t care much about winning preseason games, as his 2-6 record suggests, Seattle head coach Pete Carroll doesn’t care much, either. The Seahawks are 2-5 over the same sample, having played one fewer game due to the Cowboys’ appearance in the Hall of Fame Game. Let’s trust the Cowboys to keep this within at least six.
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Cowboys-Seahawks NFL Preseason Pick: Dallas +7 -110 at FanDuel
