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The Dallas Cowboys will face the Tampa bay Buccaneers to kick off the NFL season on Thursday night. It's time to continue our NFL odds series and make a Cowboys-Buccaneers prediction and pick. Let's see what is the best Cowboys Buccaneers pick to make based on the odds.
Both teams enter this game with high expectations. Dallas is coming off a season that was marred by seemingly endless injuries that led to a third-place finish in the NFC East. With quarterback Dak Prescott returning to full health, anything less than a division title would be a disappointing result for Dallas. The Buccaneers will look to avoid a Super Bowl hangover and start this season with a victory over another potential playoff squad. Tampa Bay returns all 22 starters from their championship season, so the expectation is another season of contention. Keep that point in mind when you consider a Cowboys Buccaneers prediction.
Here's how the bookmakers have set the odds for Thursday's game.
NFL Odds: Cowboys-Buccaneers Odds
Dallas Cowboys +9 1/2 (-125)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers -9 1/2 (+105)
Over 52 points (-110)
Under 52 points (-110)
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Why The Cowboys Could Cover The Spread
In order to cover in this one, Dallas will have to rely almost solely on their offense. Before Prescott went down in week five last season, the Cowboys looked like one of the best offenses in the NFL. Prescott threw for over 450 yards in three straight weeks, only failing to do so against the Los Angeles Rams in week one. The Cowboys were able to keep things close against the Rams and the Seattle Seahawks when Prescott was healthy, two eventual playoff teams. It's easy to forget Prescott's impact, but with him on the field the Cowboys are one of the best offenses in football. CeeDee Lamb is primed for a breakout season alongside Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, so Prescott is set to lead one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL to an entertaining showing. That has to be noted when studying the Cowboys Buccaneers odds.
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Helping Dallas is the fact that Tampa Bay's secondary remains vastly overrated. To their credit, they put things together at the right time during last season's playoff run, but that level of play will be nearly impossible to maintain. Throughout last year, the Buccaneers secondary was torched by Jared Goff, Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Matt Ryan. There are obviously a couple of great players in that list, but Dallas's offense will be better than three of the four offenses mentioned above. This isn't to say that Tampa Bay's secondary is a bad one, just that they won't perform to the incredible expectations that everyone has for them after an amazing playoff run. The Cowboys should be able to move the ball through the air against this Buccaneers secondary throughout all of Thursday night's game. Factor that into your Cowboys Buccaneers pick.
Why The Buccaneers Could Cover The Spread
Tampa Bay was one of the best passing attacks in football last season, and they should show why against this Cowboys defense. Dallas was absolutely abysmal on defense last season, allowing 386 yards per game and nearly 30 points per game. They couldn't stop anyone, and there is little to no chance that a defense that made minimal improvements will be able to stop Tom Brady and a receiving corps of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Antonio Brown. The Buccaneers should essentially score at will in this contest.
The Buccaneers somehow managed to maintain their fantastic front seven from last season. Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett lead the pass rush while defensive tackles Vita Vea and Ndamukong Suh combine to form one of the best run defenses in the league. Linebackers Devin White and Lavonte David have a case for being the best duo at their position in all of football. Dallas should struggle mightily to run the ball, as there isn't any change to this defense that allowed only 80 rushing yards per game last season.
Another huge factor is that Cowboys left guard Zack Martin will likely miss this game. He's one of the best linemen in the league, and his absence will be felt by the Dallas offense. Right tackle La'el Collins is questionable for the game too, giving the Buccaneers a huge advantage in rushing the passer. We all saw how well backups fared against this Tampa Bay defense in the Super Bowl, so expect another elite performance from Barrett and Pierre-Paul if Collins sits this out. That's part of the calculus which goes into a Cowboys Buccaneers pick.
Final Cowboys-Buccaneers Prediction & Pick
Overall, this is a pretty simple pick. Dallas's defense is so bad that it's impossible to count on them for anything, and they face what should be one of the better offenses in the league. Tampa Bay should be able to string together a couple of stops against a rusty Prescott, and that will be enough for the Buccaneers to shut the door on Dallas and cover in a dominant win.
FINAL PICK: Tampa Bay Buccaneers -7 1/2 (-110)
