Major change suggests Dak Prescott will not play vs. Vikings

A significant shift in the point spread between the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys might have revealed the game status for quarterback Dak Prescott.

Ever since injuring his calf back in Week 6, there hasn’t been much doubt about Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott suiting up against the Minnesota Vikings this weekend in a Sunday night showdown.

On Thursday, however, Prescott certainly increased any doubts about him playing this week when he said that he doesn’t “necessarily know,” if suiting up against the Vikings “is fully [his] decision.”

The Cowboys quarterback was limited in the team’s practices on Wednesday and Thursday due to his current calf injury. When speaking on Thursday, Prescott also shared the fact that there being a lot left in the 2021 season could play a factor in him playing this week or not.

Oddsmakers shift point spread in favor of Minnesota Vikings heading into game against Dallas Cowboys

Some might not believe what the Dallas quarterback said on Thursday is worth much, but the oddsmakers in Las Vegas certainly took his comments seriously.

On Wednesday, WynnBET had the Cowboys as 2.5-point favorites over the Vikings. But after Prescott’s comments on Thursday, the spread shifted five points and Minnesota is now favored by 2.5 points in Sunday’s matchup with Dallas.

Oddsmakers typically don’t just make these decisions out of the blue. When a point spread makes a big shift like this, it usually indicates that there has been a significant change in the status of a top player.

In this case, that player is Prescott. The Cowboys actually declaring their starting quarterback out before Sunday’s game would likely result in a bigger shift in the point spread. But what happened on Thursday certainly makes it seem like Dallas could be heading towards keeping Prescott on the sidelines when they take on Minnesota this weekend.