Buccaneers vs. Cowboys Point Spread: NFL Week 16 Odds, Prediction
The Bucs are 4.5-point favourites on the NFL odds with a total of 48.5.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
This should be the final primetime game in the Cowboys coaching career for Mike McCarthy as realistically the only way he’s back next year is if Dallas somehow sneaks into the playoffs as a wild-card team and then makes an even more unrealistic run to at least the Super Bowl. Neither of those things are happening with QB Dak Prescott out for the season. To get a playoff spot, Dallas is +10000.
Tampa Bay is -900 to reach the postseason because it leads the NFC South and would win the division for a fourth straight season by winning out – it could potentially clinch in Week 16 depending on what second-place Atlanta did on Monday night Week 15 in Las Vegas and then what the Falcons do at home against a terrible New York Giants team earlier Sunday in Week 16. The Falcons would win any head-to-head tiebreaker with the Bucs, but Tampa Bay will be a sizeable home favourite in its final two games vs. Carolina and New Orleans. So if the Bucs win this game, they should win the division.
The Bucs and Cowboys have met 22 times previously, including three playoff matchups, with Dallas leading 16-6. The final game in the Hall of Fame career of Tom Brady was a 31-14 home loss with Tampa Bay to the Cowboys in the Wild-Card Round following the 2022 season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs were without injured All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. on Sunday (he’s not likely back this week) at the Los Angeles Chargers and trailed 17-13 at halftime but dominated in the second half on the way to a 40-17 victory and a fourth straight win. Baker Mayfield continued his Pro Bowl-calibre season with 288 yards passing and four scores. It was his third game this season with at least 275 passing yards and four scores, second-most in the league behind Lamar Jackson. Future Hall of Fame wideout Mike Evans caught nine passes for 159 yards and two TDs. It was his seventh game with at least 150 yards and two scores, fourth-most in history.
If there’s one area to nitpick, it’s that turnovers continue to be an issue with seven over the past three games. Tampa Bay is looking to become the first team in NFL history to start 4-6 and make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons and the first club to reach the playoffs after being multiple games under .500 at any point in three straight seasons. The Bucs are 5-1 ATS in their past six.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys kept their very slim wild-card hopes alive with a third win in four games Sunday, 30-14 at Carolina as short underdogs. Backup quarterback Cooper Rush had a career-high three TD passes and tailback Rico Dowdle ran for a career high 149 yards on 25 carries to become the first undrafted running back to surpass 100 yards rushing in three straight games since Houston’s Arian Foster in 2014. The last Cowboys running back to have four straight 100-yard rushing games was Ezekiel Elliott in 2016. CeeDee Lamb had nine catches for 116 yards and a TD to reach 1,000 yards receiving a fourth straight year, the second-longest run in franchise history.
Defensively, Dallas forced four Bryce Young turnovers and sacked him six times. That unit has really been playing well during this 3-1 run. The Cowboys improved to 3-0 this season when scoring at least 30 points and 5-2 on the road compared to 1-6 at home. Dallas is 4-9 ATS in its past 13 games.
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DAL