Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers: Week 5 Predictions, Prop Bet Picks and Odds 10/8/23

The San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys are both among the top-5 Super Bowl favorites heading into their Sunday Night Football clash in Week 5.

If one of them comes away with a dominant performance, it could springboard them to the top of the heap.

There is plenty on the line as these two NFC heavyweights face off, and the oddsmakers are forecasting a competitive matchup.

Here is a look at the betting odds for Cowboys vs. 49ers on Sunday Night Football, courtesy of FanDuel:

Spread: 49ers -3.5
Moneyline: 49ers -194; Cowboys +162
Over/Under: 45

The 49ers are undefeated and have rattled off four consecutive wins to open the year, but this is easily the most formidable foe they have seen.

Quarterback Brock Purdy continues to defy all expectations after being the final selection of the 2022 draft, but faces a tough test in this one against a dominant Dallas pass-rush, led by superstar Micah Parsons.

The Cowboys need a good offensive performance against an elite San Francisco defense, and much of that will fall on the shoulders of quarterback Dak Prescott.

The 49ers have a great running game led by Christian McCaffrey, and that could be the difference, as Dallas will not be able to deploy its pass-rush to its full effect.

Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers Betting Prediction

McCaffrey is the front-runner to win NFL Offensive Player of the Year, as he’s been dominant since coming over in a trade from the Carolina Panthers last year.

But he’s far from the only weapon on offense, as Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle make up one of the best receiving trios in the NFL.

The Cowboys don’t have enough defensive backs to keep up, so as long as Purdy remains his efficient self, the 49ers should be able to move the ball, even against a defense ranked No. 1 in DVOA through four weeks.

The Cowboys are also talented on offense, as Prescott has CeeDee Lamb and Tony Pollard to help him out, along with a great offensive line. But the coaching is a mismatch in this one, and I fully expect Kyle Shanahan to have a better game plan than Mike McCarthy, which gives the 49ers a leg up.

This should be a fun game, and the 49ers are the pick to both win it and cover the spread.

Prediction: 49ers 26, Cowboys 20

Prop Bet Pick: 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey Over/Under 17.5 Rushing Attempts

McCaffrey has reached 18 rushing attempts in every game this season, and backup running back Elijah Mitchell is banged up with a knee injury.

Deebo Samuel and Kyle Jusczyk might take a few carries, but McCaffrey is on an incredible tear, and the 49ers are going to want to feature him. 

The best way to mitigate the Cowboys’ pass-rush is to avoid third-and-longs, which means plenty of work for McCaffrey on early downs. The 49ers only ran 51 offensive plays against the Cardinals last week that weren’t kneeldowns and McCaffrey still finished with 20 carries.

He is averaging 5.7 yards per rush attempt this season, and while there is a chance the 49ers are trailing late and will have to throw, I don’t think it’s too likely.

Between McCaffrey’s dominance and the game script, I think the 49ers feed the beast again.

Prediction: 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey over 17.5 rushing attempts (-122 at FanDuel)

How To Watch Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers will host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, October 8th, 2023 at 8:20 p.m. ET at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The game will be televised on NBC.