John Gilbert is the Field Gulls Deputy Editor and has covered the NFL's Seattle Seahawks since 2016. He specializes in the salary cap, the collective bargaining agreement and statistical analysis, with an occasional film breakdown sprinkled in.

Sunday Night Football brought fans a matchup of two playoff contenders battling it out in a potential playoff preview. Monday Night Football brings the exact opposite, with two teams sporting losing records come into the game more likely to see a coaching change than a playoff berth when the regular season ends.

With just four weeks to go the Cowboys sit 2.5 games out of the last Wild Card spot in the NFC, while the Bengals are 3.5 games out of the Wild Card in the AFC. With that in mind, the Bengals enter the matchup as 4.5 point favorites over Dallas, in what FanDuel Sportsbook expects to be a high scoring affair, as the over/under sits at 50.5.

After initially falling flat after Dak Prescott opted for season ending surgery in November, the Cowboys have rebounded behind Cooper Rush, winning two in a row over the Washington Commanders and Drew Lock-led New York Giants. The Bengals have been one of the highest scoring teams in the NFL this season, and that should allow the two teams to reach the over, with the Bengals winning outright and covering the spread.

Fans can tune in at 8:15 ET/5:15 PT on ESPN or ABC, or stream the game on ESPN+.