The Dallas Cowboys (3-3) are on the road to take on the San Francisco 49ers (3-4), and we have three best bets for Sunday Night Football Week 8. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET at Levi's Stadium; the game will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.
The 49ers are consensus 5.5-point favorites over the Cowboys on the spread. The over/under is 48 total points. The 49ers are -250 moneyline favorites while the Cowboys are +200 underdogs.
Let's get into our Cowboys vs. 49ers predictions and Sunday Night Football NFL picks.
Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 8:20 p.m. | |
| 8:20 p.m. | |
| 8:20 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NFL Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Pick Against the Spread
By Billy Ward
Both the 49ers and Cowboys come into Week 8 with plenty of injury concerns. San Francisco lost Brandon Aiyuk for the rest of the season, Deebo Samuel is recovering from Pneumonia, and George Kittle was a DNP early in the week with a foot injury.
I wanted to be on the Cowboys side coming out of their bye week, since presumably that would give them a chance to get key players back on the field. However, they’ll still be without two key defensive starters, LB Micah Parsons and CB DaRon Bland.
That’s a big deal for a defense that’s struggled against the run but theoretically strong against the pass. While missing their top pass rusher and arguably top defensive back, they’re just a bad defense overall.
Since it seems likely that one or both of Samuel or Kittle make it on the field tonight, San Francisco could jump out ahead early here. The 49ers are also by far the unluckier team so far, and I’ve learned my lesson about fading the Luck Rankings.
All things considered, that’s enough to justify laying the points on the home favorite.
Pick: 49ers -4.5 (Bet to -5.5)
Over/Under Prediction
When it comes to my expectations for the Cowboys' adjustments post-bye week, I have more faith that their defense — than their offense — can show improvement from the versions we've seen thus far in 2024.
Even without some of their top players, the matchup against the Niners is a good one for the Dallas front seven. The Cowboys' rush defense is markedly better against zone-running concepts than they are against man concepts — the 49ers rush the football with zone concepts at the third-highest rate in the league.
As for the Dallas offense, everything falls on Dak Prescott, and that will not be changing anytime soon with one of the league's worst rushing attacks complementing him.
The issue is the 49ers have had Prescott's number, limiting him to a completion percentage below 58% and just 5.9 yards per attempt in their previous matchups. The Niners are 21st in rush defense DVOA, but boast the third-best pass defense DVOA, meaning the matchup is perfect for their defense.
Lastly, both of these teams struggle to convert red-zone trips into touchdowns. Dallas is second worst while San Francisco is the sixth-worst league wide at reaching paydirt after they reach their opponent's 20-yard line.
The Cowboys offense has scored over 20 points once in their last five games. I am going to make them prove to me they can do their part to send this game over the total.
Pick: Under 48 (Bet t0 47.5)
Prop Pick
Kittle has 5 touchdowns this season, scoring in four of the six games that he's played.
The 49ers' WR room has gone from one of the best in the league to one of the worst due to injuries. Kittle is now the go-to guy in the passing offense, and the books haven't adjusted nearly enough for it.
I have Kittle at over a 50% chance of scoring, making this a great bet at plus odds.
Pick: George Kittle Anytime TD (+135)
Sunday Night Football Odds and Picks
| Cowboys Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+5.5 -105 | 48 -110o / -110u | +210 |
| 49ers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-5.5 -115 | 48 -110o / -110u | -260 |
- Cowboys vs. 49ers spread: 49ers -5.5
- Cowboys vs. 49ers over/under: 48 points points
- Cowboys vs. 49ers moneyline: 49ers -250, Cowboys +200
- Cowboys vs. 49ers best bets: 49ers -5.5, Under 48, George Kittle to score a TD
- 50% of bets and 52% of the money are on the Cowboys to cover the spread.
- 87% of bets and 63% of the money on the moneyline are on the 49ers to win outright.
- 72% of bets and 73% of the money are on the over.
Betting trends via our live, updating NFL public betting & money percentages page.
