Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Predictions
Score Prediction - Buccaneers 31, Cowboys 17
After hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in his first campaign with Tampa Bay, Tom Brady and the Buccaneers will host the Dallas Cowboys for the first official matchup of the NFL season on NBC this Thursday night. Dallas heads into this year following its worst campaign since 2015, as the Cowboys stumbled out to a disappointing 1-3 record at full-strength to open last season – and then lost quarterback Dak Prescott to a season-ending injury in Week 5, which resulted in everything going south from that point (6-10).
On the other hand, Tampa Bay also got off to a surprisingly uninspired start last year – as the Buccaneers entered their Week 13 bye exhibiting a pedestrian 7-5 record, likely needing a Wild Card to reach the playoffs.
Brady and company quickly flipped the switch down the homestretch though, as the Buccaneers closed out the regular season riding a four-game winning streak – and ended up carrying that momentum all the way through their commanding Super Bowl victory over the Chiefs (31-9). I’ll lay the points with Tampa Bay here, as despite Dallas getting Prescott back from injury – I still think the Cowboys have a long ways to go on defense before competing on the road with the defending champs.
Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Best Bets
- Tampa Bay -7.5
Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Game Odds
- Cowboys +300
- Buccaneers -375
- Cowboys (+7.5) -110
- Buccaneers (-7.5) -110
- Over 51.5 -110
- Under 51.5 -110
Odds per BetMGM - Subject to Change
Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting Resources
- Venue: Raymond James Stadium
- Location: Tampa, Florida
- TV-Time: NBC - 8:20 p.m. ET
Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting Analysis
After lighting up the scoreboard for 32.6 points per game across the first five weeks of last season, the Cowboys’ offense completely fell apart without Prescott at the helm – as Dallas generated a lowly average of 21.1 points per contest following Dak’s season-ending injury.
Offense was never the “real problem” for the Cowboys throughout last season though – considering Dallas still entered Week 5 with a 1-3 record thanks to its defense surrendering 38 or more points in three of their first four contests (29.2 PPG).
On the other hand, the Bucs’ defense was sturdy all season – highlighted by Tampa Bay finishing seventh in points allowed last year (21.6 PPG), which ended up keeping them afloat during Brady’s brief adjustment period within his new scheme.
Dallas clearly serves as a much bigger threat to win the NFC East with Prescott back under-center this season – but I still feel comfortable laying at least a touchdown with Tampa Bay going up against the Cowboys’ porous defensive unit.
Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting Trends
- Tampa Bay has won eight straight games.
- The point total has gone UNDER in five straight games played between Dallas and Tampa Bay.
- Tampa Bay has seen the underdog cover the spread in eight of its last nine season opening games.
