The Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers will meet on Saturday in Arlington, Texas to close out the 2024 NFL preseason schedule. The Chargers, who finished 5-12 last year and in fourth place in the AFC West, started the preseason 0-2 with a 16-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks and a 13-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The Cowboys, who went 12-5 and won the NFC East, lost to the Rams 13-12 before bouncing back to beat the Las Vegas Raiders 27-12. Both teams are not expected to have many of their key starters on the field.
Kickoff at AT&T Stadium is scheduled for 4 PM ET. The latest Chargers vs. Cowboys odds have Dallas favored by 3.5 points, and the over/under for total points is 33.5. Before making any Cowboys vs. Chargers picks or predictions, be sure to check out the opinion of SportsLine's NFL expert Larry Hartstein.
Hartstein, a former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, combines his vast network of Las Vegas sources with the analytical approach he honed while working at Pro Football Focus. Hartstein is tied for 52nd (out of 1,598 entries) with a 53-34-3 ATS record in the 2022 Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest. Those picks formed the basis of his SportsLine NFL Best Bets article, which finished 36-25-1.
Additionally, Hartstein had 218 wins, 172 losses and 2 ties (+1181) on all NFL picks last season and was 23-7 on his last 30 picks involving the Cowboys for a return of $1,515. Anyone who follows him has improved considerably.
Hartstein is currently focused on Chargers vs. Cowboys, and you can find his predictions at SportsLine: Here are some NFL odds and NFL betting lines for the spread, money line and over-under for Chargers vs. Cowboys.
Cowboys vs. Chargers spread: Dallas -3.5Cowboys vs. Chargers over/under: 33.5 pointsCowboys vs. Chargers moneyline: Los Angeles +162, Dallas -195LAC: The Chargers are -17 points behind in two preseason games this yearDAL: The Cowboys were 8-0 at home during the 2023 regular seasonCowboys vs. Chargers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Cowboys can cover
Quarterback Trey Lance impressed enough in camp to earn a spot on the 53-man roster and is expected to have a big impact against the Chargers. In two preseason games, Lance completed 40 of 64 passes (62.5%) for 339 yards and one touchdown, while also rushing for 80 yards. In last Saturday's 27-12 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, he completed 15 of 23 passes for 151 yards and one score, including a 1-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Flournoy with 1 minute, 11 seconds left in the first half. Lance also completed seven passes for 34 yards and one score.
Flournoy is one of the players competing for a roster spot and could be used as the sixth wide receiver. He has six receptions for 31 yards in two games. He was a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Southeast Missouri State University. Last year at Southeast Missouri State, he had 57 receptions for 839 yards (14.7 average) and six touchdowns, including a long one of 89 yards. Find out who to root for with SportsLine.
Why the Chargers can cover
Los Angeles will continue to try to sort out its backup quarterback situation with Easton Stick and Luis Perez expected to both play. Stick, who is expected to start against Dallas, has had mixed results in the Chargers' first two games. In the loss to Seattle, Stick completed 5 of 13 passes for 31 yards and one interception. He improved slightly in the loss to the Rams, completing 8 of 13 passes for 85 yards and one interception.
Perez led the United Football League in passing this spring but has yet to get his chance. In a loss to the Seahawks, Perez completed 5 of 12 attempts for 61 yards, then completed 13 of 20 attempts for 78 yards against the Rams. In 10 games with Arlington in the UFL, Perez has completed 225 of 336 attempts (67%) for 2,310 yards and 18 touchdowns with four interceptions. Find out who to root for with SportsLine.
How to predict Chargers vs Cowboys
Going into Saturday's matchup, Hartstein suggests the under total is possible, but he also says one side of the spread is a must-be bet due to a key X-factor, and he's exclusively revealing what that is and which side you should bet on, exclusively to SportsLine.
Who will win Saturday's Chargers vs. Cowboys game, and what are the key X-factors that will surely favor one side of the spread? Visit SportsLine now to see Saturday's Chargers vs. Cowboys predictions from our experts, who are 23-7 picks involving Dallas.
