Two of the stingiest defenses in the NFL collide on Sunday Night Football when the Dallas Cowboys host the Minnesota Vikings at AT&T Stadium. Minnesota ranks fourth in the league in points (17.6), total yards (320.9) and passing yards (225.1) allowed per game, while Dallas is fifth (17.8), sixth (318.1) and seventh (220.9), respectively. While the Cowboys have held their opponents under 20 points four times over their last six games, the Vikings have given up 20 or more in three of their last four contests. Dallas also is among the league leaders in points scored per game, ranking fifth with an average of 28.4 after producing 37 in each of its last two outings. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET. Dallas is a three-point favorite in the latest Cowboys vs. Vikings odds, while the over-under is 48. Before you make any Vikings vs. Cowboys picks of your own, you need to hear what NFL expert R.J. White has to say.

White has been SportsLine's top pro football analyst for two-plus seasons. Over that span, the CBS Sports NFL editor and nationally-recognized NFL Draft expert has gone 232-190 on NFL picks against the spread, returning $2,125 to $100 bettors.

The stats guru, whose picks are coveted by fans everywhere, has hit it big in the world's most prestigious handicapping tournament, the Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest, twice in the past four years. In addition, he has had a keen eye for the Vikings. In fact, he has hit 28 of his last 35 against-the-spread picks involving Minnesota. Anyone who has followed him is way up. Now, White has locked in on Cowboys vs. Vikings on Sunday Night Football. He's sharing his picks only at SportsLine. 

White knows that Dallas safety Xavier Woods has been playing at a high level of late. The 24-year-old Louisiana Tech product has made an interception in back-to-back games and is coming off a performance in Monday night's 37-18 road win over the New York Giants in which he recorded three tackles, a pick and a forced fumble to become the first Cowboys safety to earn NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors since George Teague in 1996. Veteran defensive end Michael Bennett also made a contribution on Monday, registering three tackles and a sack as he appeared in his first game for Dallas since being acquired from New England on Oct. 24.

White also has taken into consideration that Ezekiel Elliott is among the best running backs in the NFL. The 24-year-old is sixth in the league this season with 741 rushing yards and leads all players with 3,158 since 2017. Wide receiver Amari Cooper has also been sensational, recording 526 receiving yards and four touchdowns in Dallas' four home games this year.  

Even so, Dallas is no guarantee to cover the Cowboys vs. Vikings spread on Sunday Night Football. 

Kirk Cousins is hoping to reverse his fortunes against the Cowboys as he meets them for the first time as a member of the Vikings. The veteran quarterback faced Dallas seven times while with Washington, winning just one of those matchups. Minnesota enjoyed considerable success against the Cowboys, capturing five of six regular-season meetings, before losing the last two showdowns.

Dalvin Cook leads the NFL with 894 yards on the ground and hopes to become the Vikings' first 1,000-yard rusher since Adrian Peterson in 2015. The third-year Florida State product, who also is a receiving threat out of the backfield, ranks second in the league behind Carolina's Christian McCaffrey (1,244) with 1,232 yards from scrimmage. Minnesota has also gone five straight contests without allowing points off turnovers but is 0-9-1 in its last 10 road games against teams with a winning record.

White has analyzed this matchup and while we can tell you he's leaning under, he has discovered a crucial x-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. He's sharing it only at SportsLine. 

Who wins Vikings vs. Cowboys on Sunday Night Football? And what crucial x-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Vikings vs. Cowboys spread you should jump on Sunday, all from the top NFL expert who's 28-7 on Minnesota games.