Top NFL sportsbooks favor the Bucs over the Cowboys when Tampa Bay and Dallas meet in their 2022 NFL season opener.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Dallas Cowboys NFL Odds by BetUs
| Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buccaneers | -1½ ( -110 ) | 50 ( -110 ) | -125 |  |
| Cowboys | +1½ ( -110 ) | 50 ( -110 ) | +105 | |
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Betting Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs are slightly favored by the best online sportsbooks. The 2022 season is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 47th in the NFL, first under new head coach Todd Bowles, and their ninth under general manager Jason Licht.
Bowles was promoted from the DC position, which he held from 2019 to 2021. The Bucs will try to improve on their best-ever 13–4 record from 2021 and earn a playoff berth for the third consecutive season.
The team will enter the 2022 season as the defending NFC South division champions and try to win their division in back-to-back seasons for the first time in team history. On February 1, 2022, QB Tom Brady announced his retirement.
Brady had one season left on his contract with the Bucs. 40 days later he reversed his decision, and announced his return for the 2022 season. Brady’s announcement prompted a slew of free agent signings, re-signings, and restructuring.
Those included Chris Godwin, Leonard Fournette, Shaq Mason, Russell Gage, Carlton Davis, Ryan Jensen, Julio Jones and others. On March 30, a few weeks after Brady’s announcement, head coach Bruce Arians caught the retirement bug from and stepped down from coaching and assumed the Senior Football Consultant position.
Defensive coordinator and erstwhile Jets head coach Todd Bowles was appointed successor to Arians. Following two seasons with the team, Rob Gronkowski announced his own second retirement on June 21. We’ll see how long that lasts.
Buccaneers Stats
The Buccs entered the 2021 season as the defending Super Bowl champions. They attempted to become the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since the team’s QBTom Brady did so with the Patriots in XXXVIII and XXXIX.
Also they entered the season with a franchise record eight straight wins (including regular and postseason). They extended that streak to ten wins and then they lost to the Rams. After their Week 16 win against Carolina, the Bucs clinched the NFC South for the first time since 2007.
Tampa Bay won a franchise record of 13 regular season games. In Week 18, they earned the No. 2 seed in the NFC. They defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 31–15 in the Wild Card Round. They notched postseason wins in straight seasons for the first time.
However, their title defense ended with a 30–27 last-second defeat to eventual Super Bowl champion the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round. The Bucs became the first team in the league’s salary cap era to return all 22 starters from their Super Bowl championship.
During the regular season, Brady extended several ongoing records, and established new individual league records for most career starts, most career passing yards, most career pass completions, and became the first player to post 600 career touchdown passes.
A string of injuries, however, placed several starters on injured reserve. Those included Chris Godwin and Richard Sherman. Additionally, Rob Gronkowski, Ronald Jones, Leonard Fournette, Lavonte David, and Tristan Wirfs missed playing time with injuries. Moreover, in Week 17 Antonio Brown quit the team mid-game.
Betting Dallas Cowboys
The Boys are home dogs at top sportsbooks, though not by much. The 2022 season is the Dallas Cowboys’ 63rd in the NFL and third under head coach Mike McCarthy. The Cowboys will try to improve on their 12–5 record from 2021.
And become the first team since the 2001–2004 Philadelphia Eagles to repeat as NFC East division champions. As well as win a Super Bowl for the first time since 1995. This is the first season since 2014 that offensive tackle La’el Collins is not on the roster. He was released on March 18, 2022. He later signed with the Cincinnati Bengals.
With their Week 10 win over the Atlanta Falcons last year, the Cowboys improved on their 6–10 record from the season prior. Also with their Week 14 win over the Washington Football Team, the Cowboys secured their first winning season since 2018.
With the San Francisco 49ers’ Week 16 loss to the Tennessee Titans, the Cowboys earned their first playoff berth also since 2018. After a Denver Broncos’ loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Cowboys won the NFC East division, based on their strength-of-victory tiebreakers.
This was their first division title since 2018. They swept their division for the first time since 1998. The Cowboys’ solid offensive finished the regular season with 530 points, the most in the NFL, and a franchise record.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Dallas Cowboys NFL Pick
Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
