The Cowboys opened as a 3.5-point road favorite on the NFL wild-card odds but they have since faded to just a 2.5-point fave at sites for betting in the NFL. The total has been gaining since it opened at 44.5. It has raised to 45.5 at the best online sportsbooks.
Monday night’s football game will mark the second time that these teams have played each other this season. The Bucs went on to a 19 points to 3 points win in Dallas in Week 1. They have held the Cowboys to single-digit point totals two times.
They have also won three of their last five head-to-head matchups. The Bucs have gone 4-1-1 ATS against the spread in the past six meetings. Low scoring has been the norm when these two teams play.
The OVER has gone 12-3 in fifteen (15) matchups since 1983.
The Dallas Cowboys (12-5 SU, 10-7 ATS) are going to be looking for their first win at Tampa Bay in more than a decade when they meet the Buccaneers (8-9, 4-12-1) on Sunday in NFL Wild Card Weekend football action.
The Cowboys would claim the No. 5 seed in the NFC but they now face the task of ending an eight-game losing skid on the road in the postseason dating back to 1993. The Bucs will be trying to put the lid on an underwhelming regular season that nevertheless was good enough to earn them a second straight NFC South division title as well as the No. 4 seed in the NFC.
Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Odds by BetOnline
Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cowboys | -3 (EV) | 45½ (-110) | -150 | ![]() |
Buccaneers | +3 (-120) | 45½ (-110) | +130 | |
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Betting Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys endured hardship this season en route to a second consecutive 12-win season. A solid defense became the star of the first half of the season, in particular when quarterback Dak Prescott was out for five games in the months of September and October.
However, Dallas struggled to keep the momentum going on both sides of the ball as the season went on. With the league’s top-ranked defense giving up just 13.6 points per game, the Cowboys got off to a 5-2 SU start.
Dallas, though, surrendered nigh 24 points per game the rest of the season and yielded mixed results away from home down the stretch. They went 2-4 SU in their last six road games. Prescott has also been struggling with being accurate since he returned from injury.
While he has hit on 23 touchdown scoring passes in 12 games since he came back, he has also thrown 11 picks over his past seven games. That includes three pick-sixes in the past four games. That trend also covers Prescott’s concerning track record in postseason action.
The Cowboys signal-caller has yet to lead the team to a win in four playoff outings. He has tossed for just three total TDs against two picks in his past three performances, culminating in a brutal showing in a 23 points to 17 points loss to San Francisco in the Wild Card round a year ago.
Coming face to face with the double challenge of surpassing an abysmal track record on the road in the postseason and besting the GOAT, the Cowboys have to find a way to find once again the form that made them the hardest team to play against early in the regular season.
That implies better decision-making from Dak Prescott, which in turn necessitates better pass protection. Dallas needs to bolster the ground game too, after they generated just one score and 151 total terrestrial yards in the past two weeks.
Betting Tampa Bay Buccaneers
As has been the norm since he arrived in Tampa, the Buccaneers will live and die by Tom Brady. While this squad has been a disappointment this season, it is hard to blame their 45-year-old superstar QB.
He once again finished the regular season among the best in the NFL in passing yards, attempts, completions and interceptions. The Bucs offensive attack could surely use a boost from running back Leonard Fournette.
He has been limited to just three scoring rushes this season. However, Fournette keeps rising to the occasion come the postseason. He tallies 10 total TDs in his past seven playoff appearances.
Cowboys vs. Buccaneers NFL Wild Card Pick
We get the case that is to be made for either team in this game, but we are backing Tampa Bay here. Tom Brady is still leading the offense and he remains fully capable of guiding the Bucs to a win and a cover of the spread at sites for betting in the NFL.