Cowboys vs Buccaneers Lines & Betting Prediction - NFL Wild Card Odds

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The NFL elected to have the Cowboys and Bucs Monday night in the final contest of Wild Card Weekend, seemingly showcasing a matchup between one of the game’s all-time greats in, Tom Brady, and one of the sport’s most storied franchises in the Dallas Cowboys. While the Cowboys are favored in the 8:15 p.m. game to be played on the natural grass of Raymond James Stadium, they haven’t exactly been a model of consistency in the playoffs.

Since its 1995 Super Bowl win, Dallas has not made it back to the NFC Conference title game or Super Bowl. Their postseason record in the years following 1995 is 4-12. In fact, from 1998-2007, America’s team failed to win a playoff game.

Tampa Bay, on the other hand, struggled in the regular season but has a quarterback and skill players familiar with performing in big spots. The beneficiary of a subpar division, Tampa Bay captured the NFC South with an 8-9 mark. The markets have favored the Cowboys all week, as Dallas is a 2.5-point favorite, with the game total being 46. With all that in mind, let’s get a closer look at both teams and how they got here so you can place your bets against their NFL Playoffs Odds.

Dallas and Tampa Close Wild Card Weekend on Monday | NFL Playoffs Betting Analysis

Inside the Cowboys (-142)

Dallas enters the game having dropped its season finale 26-6 at Washington. The Cowboys were 4-4 away from Jerry World in 2022. Offensively, the team ranks 13th overall in total offense while ranking 14th in passing yards and 9th on the ground. On the average, the Cowboys run 9.5 offensive snaps per game and throw it nearly 55 pct. of the time.

Cowboys come into the game relatively unscathed on the injury front. In 2022, Dallas is 10-7 against the number. Some pertinent trends to keep an eye on are that they are 0-4-1 ATS on games played on natural grass.

Dallas Cowboys: Last 5 Matches

Sun, Jan 8 @ Washington Washington L 26-6
Thu, Dec 29 @ Tennessee Tennessee W 27-13
Sat, Dec 24 vs Philadelphia Philadelphia W 40-34
Sun, Dec 18 @ Jacksonville Jacksonville L 40-34 OT
Sun, Dec 11 vs Houston Houston W 27-23

Injuries

Tyron Smith OT – Questionable
DeMarcus Lawrence DE – Questionable
Johnathan Hankins DT – Injured Reserve (Pectoral)
Matt Farniok G – Injured Reserve (Hamstring)

A Look at the Bucs (+119)

Tom Brady will go down as one of the game’s all-time greats. In fact, the 2022 campaign marked the first-time in his 23-season career that a team quarterback by him ended up under .500. Despite, the less than ideal performance, Brady has a knack for performing in the postseason as he’s thrown 86 touchdowns and just 39 picks in 47 postseason appearances.

Bucs rank 15th overall in offense while ranking second overall in passing yards. Conversely, Tampa Bay averages just 76.9 rushing yards per game, dead last in football. Dallas’ pass defense is ranked 8th while they’re 22nd against the run. Buccaneers run 72.5 plays every game and throw it 68 percent of the time.

A few injuries for the Bucs, as TE Kyle Rudolph and safety Logan Ryan are listed as questionable. Key betting trend to focus on is that in their last 5 playoff games as underdogs, Tampa is 5-0 against the number.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Last 5 Matches

Sun, Jan 8 @ Atlanta Atlanta L 30-17
Sun, Jan 1 vs Carolina Carolina W 30-24
Sun, Dec 25 @ Arizona Arizona W 19-16 OT
Sun, Dec 18 vs Cincinnati Cincinnati L 34-23
Sun, Dec 11 @ San Francisco San Francisco L 35-7

Injuries

Kyle Rudolph TE – Questionable (knee)
John Molchon G – Questionable
Nick Leverett G – Questionable
Anthony Chesley CB – Injured Reserve (Hamstring)
Vita Vea DT – Questionable
Logan Ryan S – Questionable
Robert Hainsey C – Questionable (Hamstring)

Final NFL Betting Analysis, Pick and Prediction

Taking the Bucs in this spot seems like shooting fish in a barrel, given Brady’s success and Dallas’ (despite recent early-round playoff success) subpar track record in January. The Cowboys are likely the better side but taking Tom Brady and points in a home playoff game is just too much to pass up. We like Tampa and the over here.

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