Sizzling Saints can maintain their dominance in Dallas

Sky Sports Action & Main Event, 1.20am Thursday night

New Orleans are in sizzling form and can improve the best record in the NFL with an 11th straight success when they visit Dallas on Thursday night.

The Saints could easily have lost their first two games of the season to back-markers Tampa Bay, who beat them 48-40, and Cleveland, who went down 21-18 in Louisiana after missing two field goals and two extra points.

But Sean Payton's side have not looked back since and the victory over the Browns has been followed by nine more, including a 45-35 success over the LA Rams that gave them the head-to-head tiebreaker which put them top of the NFC rankings.

The presence of the relentless Rams means the Saints can't afford to ease up and on their preferred artificial surface they look capable of covering a single-figure handicap.

The Saints have won seven of their last eight games by ten or more points – the exception was a 24-23 win at Baltimore – and while they are known for their slick offence, marshalled by veteran quarterback Drew Brees, their improved defence has made a huge difference this season.

New Orleans have the top-ranked run defence in the league which is a valuable asset against Dallas's star performer, running back Ezekiel Elliott.

Things are looking up in Texas, where three successive wins have taken the Cowboys to the top of a mediocre NFC East division.

They may well stay there and make the playoffs, but this is clearly the hardest game left on their schedule. Both teams played on Thanksgiving Day last week, so neither has an advantage of more preparation time, but they have both had more time to plan for this encounter than most Thursday participants and an entertaining game with plenty of passing looks likely.

Dallas traded their first-round pick in next year's draft for Amari Cooper, who lived up to the billing in their win over Washington with 180 yards and two touchdowns. But the rest of their receiving options are poor and if left tackle Tyron Smith does not pass a late fitness test, quarterback Dak Prescott could be in for a tough night.

Recommendation
New Orleans -7
1pt 9-10 BetBright

The lowdown
Venue AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Surface Artificial
Weather Cloudy, 16C (retractable roof likely to be open)
Vegas handicap New Orleans -7.5
Vegas points line 52.5

Team news
New Orleans
Offensive tackle Terron Armstead (chest) is still out. Defensive end Marcus Davenport (toe), wide receiver Tre'Quan Smith (toe), guard Andrus Peat (shoulder) and kicker Will Lutz (back) could all be available.

Dallas
Linebacker Sean Lee (hamstring), wide receiver Tavon Austin (groin) and defensive lineman David Irving (ankle) are all still out. A late decision will be made on offensive tackle Tyron Smith (neck) but guards Xavier Su’a-Filo (knee) and Zack Martin (ankle) are likely to play.

Key stat
New Orleans have won seven of their last eight games by ten points or more.

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