Two of the NFL’s most iconic franchises — the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers — meet for Sunday Night Football this week.
The pregame narrative: I’ve got rushing prop bets on both sides of this primetime showdown, as I’m fading Rico Dowdle and tailing Najee Harris. Also, Justin Fields is an enticing plus-money pick to score a touchdown.
Check out my Cowboys vs. Steelers prop picks for Sunday Night Football on Oct. 6.
Cowboys vs. Steelers prop picks
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Best Bet: Harris over 71.5 rushing yards (-112)
Let’s get the negative aspects out of the way first. Harris hasn’t cleared this line yet this season (0-for-4) and he’s coming off his worst week but a mile.
If the Steelers’ RB1 flops again this week, you probably won’t catch me backing him on a prop market for the rest of the season. But I can’t ignore how perfect the situation is for him in this matchup.
The Cowboys have had the worst defence based on EPA per rush, according to RBSDM.com. They also rank 26th in rushing success rate allowed (43.7%) and total rush yards allowed.
Pittsburgh’s second and third-string running backs, Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson, have both been ruled out. So Harris should practically have the backfield to himself.
If the fourth-year tailback can’t find a way to perform with all of these factors working in his favour … the Steelers have a serious problem.
Though Harris has gone under 71.5 rush yards in all four games, he’s finished with either 69 or 70 yards in three of them. So he’s not far off. And three of the four defences he’s faced so far rank in the top 10 for EPA per rush (Chargers, Broncos, Colts).
Calling this a “now or never” spot for Harris is honestly not far from the truth. He needs to show on Sunday that he can take advantage of a plus matchup.
Key stat: Harris, who eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in each of his first three seasons, is averaging 17.0 carries per game so far.
Quick picks
Fields anytime TD (+104): Dallas has already allowed eight rushing TDs through four games. Harris might get his number called for the Steelers, but I like this price on Fields to score.
Fields has found the end zone three times in the past two weeks after scoring just four rushing TDs a year ago. Clearly, the Steelers are comfortable with him carrying the rock.
With 11 red zone rush attempts already, Fields is third among all NFL quarterbacks. Harris, by comparison, has 12 red zone rushes out of the backfield.
Fields has three-plus red zone carries in three of four weeks. I can get behind that type of volume, especially against a porous run defence.
Dowdle under 38.5 rushing yards (-110): This is a very low bar for a guy who’s technically a starting NFL running back. But Dowdle’s usage has been low, and this matchup is a rough one.
Through four games, the previously undrafted tailback has averaged 33.5 rush yards and hit this under three times. He did see a season-high 11 carries last week, but that was against a lowly Giants team in a game the Cowboys led from the first quarter onward.
In his three previous games, Dowdle never had more than eight touches in the ground game.
Pittsburgh’s defence ranks No. 2 in yards per rush (3.7) and No. 3 in rush yards per game (86.8). This is not a group that I expect Dowdle to make a dent in.
Picks made at 2:00 p.m. ET 10/05/2024.
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.