The Dallas Cowboys (0-0) and Seattle Seahawks (0-0) will face off in Week 1 of the NFL preseason tonight. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. ET from Lumen Field in Seattle, WA, Was. The game will broadcast live on NFL Network.
The Seahawks are favored by -2.5 with the over/under set at 39.5 total points. Seahawks is a -154 favorite to win outright, while Cowboys is +124 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Cowboys vs. Seahawks predictions and NFL picks for Preseason Week 1.
My Cowboys vs Seahawks Prediction
- Cowboys vs Seahawks pick: Cowboys +2.5
My Cowboys vs Seahawks best bet is the Cowboys to cover the spread. As always, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NFL odds page.
Cowboys vs Seahawks Odds
| Cowboys Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -112 | 39.5 -110o / -110u | +124 |
| Seahawks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -108 | 39.5 -110o / -110u | -154 |
Cowboys vs Seahawks NFL Preseason Preview
Sam Howell is on his fourth team in four years but, by all accounts, he has settled in nicely in his role as the Cowboys’ backup quarterback.
Beat reports out of Dallas have him ahead in the competition to lock down the No. 2 spot on the depth chart behind Dak Prescott. Howell will get the nod to start this game before the Cowboys turn the keys over to Joe Milton.
One Sports Illustrated writer covering the Cowboys even went as far as to predict Howell “putting on a clinic” on Saturday. Historically, Howell has delivered in the preseason, completing 66.6% of his passes on 174 attempts, with six touchdown passes and just two interceptions.
The electric Joe Milton will likely see extensive action in the second half. Boasting one of the strongest arms in football — in addition to athleticism to move the chains with his legs — he is a highly entertaining watch and seems to be developing into a reliable depth piece.
The last time we saw Milton was in the 2025 preseason finale, when he completed 10-of-18 passes for 132 yards through the air and added 33 yards on the ground. Milton threw a touchdown pass and ran for another in the 31-13 victory.
I am not as confident in the duo of signal-callers vying for the backup spot behind Sam Darnold in Seattle.
Drew Lock will be the first to take the field under new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury, who has kept many of the same components of the system that made the offense successful under Klint Kubiak, but this is still the first game with a new play-caller in your ear for both Lock and Jalen Milroe.
Milroe still has plenty of room for growth, especially in processing and ball protection. He was credited with three fumbles and five sacks taken when he was given the opportunity to start and play the entire game versus Green Bay in the Seahawks’ preseason finale a year ago (a 20-7 loss).
Another concerning factor for the Seattle offense in this game is the lack of depth at running back. Zach Charbonnet is still recovering from an ACL injury he sustained late last season, and 1st-round pick Jadarian Price is dealing with soreness and will miss this game.
Those alone wouldn’t be so concerning in this spot, but free-agent signing Emmanuel Wilson left practice this week, while depth piece Jacardia Wright is also dealing with a lower body injury.
If both were to miss this game, that would leave only George Holani (who currently sits as the team’s starting running back and is unlikely to be at risk for too long in this contest), veteran Velus Jones, and two recently signed rookie free agent backs unfamiliar with the system.
For the Cowboys, their running back depth is in a much different spot, and it has been drawing praise as the explosive Jaydon Blue and bruiser Phil Mafah compete to be the change-of-pace player behind starter Javonte Williams.
Further down the depth chart, Israel Abanikanda has also played his way onto the team, with Nick Eatman of the Cowboys claiming he is one of the more complete running backs on the roster.
Cowboys vs Seahawks Prediction, Betting Analysis
I like the position the Cowboys offense is in heading into their first preseason tilt.
Also, knowing that Cowboy fans will get their first look at both first-round picks of the team — Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence — only adds to my confidence that they can limit Drew Lock in the early going en route to winning this game.
With home-field advantage minimized during the preseason, short road underdogs have been incredibly profitable. Over the last decade, road underdogs of +2.5 or fewer have covered at a remarkable clip in the preseason (66.4%).
Pick: Cowboys +2.5; bet to +1
