The Dallas Cowboys are hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football this weekend. Dallas is coming off a dominating performance against the Carolina Panthers on the road. They won 30-14. In regards to the Bucs, they are coming off a very impressive performance. They defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 40-17.
The Cowboys need this win to stay alive for a playoff spot and the Buccaneers need this win to stay ahead of the Falcons in the NFC South. Will Tampa extend their winning streak to five in a row or will Dallas pull off the upset? Let’s dive in and cook up a winning slip!
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Dallas Cowboys Odds
| Team | Spread | Total | Money Line |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | -3.5 (-118) | Over 49.5 (-114) | -210 |
| Dallas Cowboys | +3.5 (-104) | Under 49.5 (-106) | +176 |
| **Odds Subject to Change** | |||
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Dallas Cowboys Match Details
- Fixture: Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Dallas Cowboys
- Date and Time: December 22nd, 2024 @ 8:15 PM EST
Key Stats
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming off a dominant performance against the Los Angeles Chargers last week, 40-17. Baker Mayfield was great by completing 22 of his 27 passes for 288 yards, 4 touchdowns, and an interception. Mike Evans was awesome! He caught 9 passes for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bucky Irving was questionable coming into the game and feasted with 117 yards rushing on 15 carries.
This offense is top 5 in points per game, passing yards per game, rushing yards per game, offensive touchdowns, and yards per play. Nobody in the NFC is going to want to face this offense if they make the playoffs.
Tampa’s defense has been shaky all season. They are ranked 19th in points allowed per game, 30th in passing yards allowed per game, 11th in rushing yards allowed per game, 16th in offensive touchdowns allowed, 11th in sacks, and 13th in takeaways per game. We are seeing their secondary get healthier at this point in the season and it is showing.
They forced Justin Herbert’s second interception of the season and held the Chargers to 0/6 on 3rd down. Regarding injuries, Antoine Winfield Jr. is questionable, as he had a knee injury that kept him sidelined last week.
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are coming off a big win last week against the Carolina Panthers 30-14. Cooper Rush was above average by completing 18 of 29 passes for 214 yards and 3 touchdowns. CeeDee Lamb was excellent with 9 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. Rico Dowdle had a career-high 149 rushing yards on 25 carries. This offense was 50% on third down, 6/12, and 3/4 in the red zone. If this offense can be efficient and not turn the ball over, they could be an interesting team to watch this week.
The Cowboys’ defense has been bad this season. They are ranked 30th in points allowed per game, 21st in passing yards allowed per game, 29th in rushing yards allowed per game, 29th in offensive touchdowns allowed, 4th in sacks, and 11th in takeaways per game. In regards to injuries, this defense will continue to be without DeMarcus Lawrence who is still on IR with a foot injury. They’re other key injuries like Trevon Diggs missing the rest of the year with a knee injury and DeMarvion Overshown who tore his knee up in the loss to the Bengals.
Prediction
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to dominate the Dallas Cowboys in this game and cover the 3.5-point spread in this game. Tampa’s offense has been on fire over the past month. They are averaging 31 points over their four-game winning streak. This is a bad matchup for Dallas. Cooper Rush has been benefitting from Dowdle and the rushing attack.
We just saw Tampa Bay limit a power-running team in the Chargers to 32 yards rushing. I don’t see the Cowboys’ offense being able to keep up with the Buccaneers’ top-five offense. Baker Mayfield and Bucky Irving dominate and cruise to a double-digit win in Dallas and take firm control of the NFC South.
