Cardinals vs. Cowboys Final Score Prediction for NFL Week 9 (Bet on Dallas at Home?)

The Cowboys are favored at home in Week 9.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys are on the outside looking in of the playoffs picture in the NFC when they host the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football in Week 9.

Entering the season, this looked like it could be an exciting matchup between a Dallas team that was re-tooled around Dak Prescott and an Arizona team that was looking to make a run in the NFC West.

Instead, Dallas is 3-4-1 this season with one of the worst defenses in the NFL, wasting a great season out of Prescott and George Pickens. On the Arizona side, things are even worse.

Kyle Murray has missed time with a foot injury, and he is not expected to return in this game with Arizona coming out of the bye. The Cardinals are just 2-5 in the 2025 season and have lost five games in a row. 

Dallas is favored at home in this matchup, but this could be a get-right spot for the Arizona offense, as Dallas is just 31st in EPA/Play on defense. 

All season long, the SI Betting team is sharing final score predictions for each NFL game as a fun way to help bettors decide on their spread and total bets. 

Here’s a breakdown of my score prediction for Monday night’s matchup between Arizona and Dallas. 

Cardinals vs. Cowboys Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Cardinals +2.5 (-105)
• Cowboys -2.5 (-115)

Moneyline

  

• Cardinals: +124
• Cowboys: -148

Total

• 54.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

There has been a small shift in the odds for this matchup, as the Cowboys opened as 3-point favorites but are now favored by just 2.5 points at home. Dallas has struggled to keep opponents off the scoreboard, leading to an impressive 6-2 record to the OVER this season. 

Arizona enters this game at 2-5 against the spread despite losing five games in a row. 

Cardinals vs. Cowboys Final Score Prediction

Earlier this week, SI’s NFL betting insider Iain MacMillan shared why he’s backing the Cowboys to win and cover in this matchup in his Road to 272 column – where he picks every game, every week. He was already betting the Cowboys (he makes these picks on Monday each week) before Murray was ruled out as the starter: 

Kyler Murray is on track to be back for the Cardinals, but that may not be good news for Arizona fans and bettors. Jacoby Brissett ranks 13th in EPA+CPOE, while Murray comes in at 21st in that stat. Yes, he gets to face a bad Cowboys' offense, but I don't think he's played well enough for the Cardinals to only be 3-point underdogs.

The Cowboys are fifth in the league in EPA per play and fourth in offensive DVOA. They're going to score early and often in this game, and I don't think the Cardinals' offense will be able to match the rate they're scoring at.

For all the issues that Dallas has on defense, it should be able to put up numbers against an Arizona defense that is in the bottom half of the league in EPA/Play.

The Cardinals’ offense has been underwhelming all season long, and it still has a litany of injuries at the running back position. Dallas’ defense hasn’t held up all season, but it can win a high-scoring game against an inferior offense. 

Final Score Prediction: Cowboys 31, Cardinals 26

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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