The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will look to continue their hot streak when they travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys in this week’s exciting edition of Sunday Night Football. The Buccaneers are playing excellent football, and the Cowboys just proved that they haven’t given up on the season.
When these two NFC teams take the field, who should you back to make the winning pick? Let’s take a look at the NFL odds and find out!
NFL Pick: Buccaneers -4 (-110) at Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sunday, December 22, 2024 – 08:20 PM ET at AT&T Stadium
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With their blowout win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers moved to 8-6 and are in first place in the NFC South. It was the Buccaneers’ fourth win in a row. The Buccaneers are peaking at the right time and are heading into the playoffs playing good football on both sides of the ball.
This was evident in what might be their most convincing win of the season when they defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 40-17. QB Baker Mayfield was able to throw four touchdown passes and amassed 288 yards passing. The Buccaneers got behind early and were down 17-10 in the second quarter before they responded with 30 unanswered points. The offensive adjustments the team were able to make at halftime were on full display and the defense did not give up a point in the second half.
Defensive Weaknesses
The Buccaneers will face a tough contest against the Cowboys. Where the Buccaneers are the weakest on the defensive end is against the pass. The Buccaneers average 266.4 yard passing yards allowed per game, which is 29th in the league. We know the Dallas Cowboys will be looking to attack this weakness in the Buccaneers defense.
While the Buccaneers defense ranks really low, their offense ranks really high. They are third in the NFL in overall yards averaging 388.4 yards per game. This should be a good recipe for success against the Dallas defense which is 26th in the league, averaging 356 yards per game allowed. The Buccaneers will look to put up another high score to continue gaining momentum for their playoff push.
Dallas Cowboys
Although the Dallas Cowboys season is over, they still showed heart in their 30-14 win over the Carolina Panthers. Although, because the season is going so poorly for the Cowboys we don’t consider them a good team, they have won three of their last four games. Now they have a chance to continue to show the world that they are not a laughing stock and try to get their seventh win of the season against Tampa Bay.
The Cowboys are without star quarterback Dak Prescott so they will turn to Cooper Rush at quarterback. Rush was able to get things done last week against Carolina. In that game, Rush was 18-29 for 214 yards and three touchdowns. Rush is an adequate backup, and the Cowboys offense is still a threat even without their star quarterback playing.
On the defensive side, the team is looking much better now that Micah Parsons has returned to full health. Parsons is a dynamic defensive player and arguably one of the best pass rushers in the league. With Parsons on the field, the Cowboys have a great opportunity to shut down the high flying Buccaneers offense.
Key Matchup:Â TB Wide Receivers vs. Dallas Secondary
The Buccaneers wide receivers were able to get open early and often against the Los Angeles Chargers and they will look to do the same here against the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are able to get a pass rush, but in the times when Parsons is double or triple teamed, they will be reliant on their corners to stay in coverage longer than usual. This is going to put a big test on one of the weaknesses of the Dallas defense.
If Tampa Bay is able to have another stellar game through the air, they can put up enough points to outscore an average Dallas offense. If the Dallas secondary can hang tight and turn this into a low-scoring game, the Cowboys could have a great chance for an upset.
The Pick
Tampa Bay will continue their high-flying ways and put up a bunch of points once again. The Buccaneers offense is going strong, and their win against the Chargers defense portends future success.
I rank the Chargers’ defense much higher than the Cowboys’ defense. The Cowboys’ defense is a one-man game, if you can slow down Micah Parsons you will have success. I do believe Tampa Bay will be able to slow down Parsons and move the ball successfully through the air.
After a nice little stretch of games, the Dallas Cowboys will be in for disappointment. The Buccaneers are rolling into the playoffs looking strong, and this week will be another show of why they need to be respected once the playoffs start. The Buccaneers will continue to roll. Lay the points with Tampa Bay.
NFL Pick: Buccaneers -4 (-110) at Bet365Â
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