A pair of playoff teams from a year ago kick off the Sunday Night Football schedule when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers battle the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Tampa Bay won the NFC South for the first time in 13 years in 2021, while Dallas won its fourth NFC East crown over the past eight years but first since 2018. The Buccaneers ousted the Philadelphia Eagles 31-15 in the Wild Card round before being upended in the NFC Divisional playoffs against the Los Angeles Rams 30-27. The Cowboys lost 23-17 to the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card round.
The game is scheduled to kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET from Arlington, Texas. Both teams did a solid job keeping opponents out of the end zone in 2021. The Buccaneers allowed just 20.8 points per game, tied for fifth-best in the NFL, while the Cowboys gave up 21.1, seventh-best. Tampa Bay is a 2.5-point favorite in the latest Buccaneers vs. Cowboys odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 50. Before making your Buccaneers vs. Cowboys picks, make sure you check out what SportsLine NFL expert R.J. White has to say.
Over the past seven years White, a CBS Sports fantasy and gambling editor, has gone 329-250-21 (56.8 percent) in the world's most prestigious football handicapping competition, the Las Vegas SuperContest. He also is SportsLine's No. 1 NFL expert, going 445-378-24 on his against-the-spread NFL picks from 2017-21, returning $2,542 to $100 players. In addition, White is 33-19-4 on his last 56 against-the-spread picks involving the Buccaneers. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, White has zoned in on Buccaneers vs. Cowboys and just locked in his picks and NFL predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see White's picks. Here are the NFL odds and betting lines for Buccaneers vs. Cowboys:
- Buccaneers vs. Cowboys spread: Tampa Bay -2.5
- Buccaneers vs. Cowboys over-under: 50 points
- Buccaneers vs. Cowboys money line: Tampa Bay -140, Dallas +118
- TB: Buccaneers are 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 games as favorites
- DAL: Cowboys are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games as home underdogs
- Buccaneers vs. Cowboys picks: See picks here
Why the Buccaneers can cover
Quarterback Tom Brady returns to lead the Tampa Bay offense after changing his mind about retiring. Brady, who enters his third season with the Bucs, completed 485 of 719 passes (67.5 percent) for a career-high 5,316 yards. He also threw for 43 touchdowns versus just 12 interceptions for a rating of 102.1. In two games against the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, including a divisional playoff, Brady completed 71 of 109 passes (65.1 percent) for 761 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.
Also helping power the offense is wide receiver Chris Godwin. Godwin had a career-high 98 receptions with 1,103 receiving yards and six touchdowns, including five receiving in 2021. He had 15 explosive plays of 20 yards or more and converted 55 first downs. In the last meeting against the Cowboys, he had nine catches for 105 yards and a receiving TD.
Why the Cowboys can cover
Quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott help make for a formidable one-two punch for the Dallas offense. Prescott passed for a franchise record 37 touchdowns and ranked third in the league with a 104.2 rating last season. In 16 games played, Prescott completed 410 of 596 passes (68.8 percent) for 4,449 yards. In a 35-29 overtime win at New England on Oct. 10, he completed 36 of 51 passes (70.6 percent) for 445 yards and three touchdowns.
Elliott had 1,289 scrimmage yards, including 1,002 yards rushing with 12 TDs (10 rushing, two receiving) in 2021. He had three explosive plays of over 20 yards and converted 55 first downs. Since 2016, he leads the NFL with 9,630 scrimmage yards and 7,386 rushing yards. He has played well in the spotlight and has 1,691 scrimmage yards (112.7 per game) in 15 career games on Sunday Night Football.
How to make Buccaneers vs. Cowboys picks
For Sunday Night Football, White is leaning under on the point total, but he also says a critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back. He's only sharing what it is, and which side to back, at SportsLine.
So, who wins Cowboys vs. Buccaneers? And which X-factor makes one side of the spread hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Cowboys vs. Buccaneers spread you need to jump on, all from the expert who's 33-19 on Tampa Bay picks, and find out.
