The Dallas Cowboys (12-5) meet the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9) at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Monday. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC/ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Cowboys vs. Buccaneers odds, and make our expert NFL picks and predictions.
The Cowboys suffered a pair of losses in the final 4 games in Jacksonville and in Washington, and it was just 2-4 SU and 1-4-1 ATS in the final 6 games on the road. Dallas also suffered a 19-3 loss in the opener against Tampa Bay at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
The Buccaneers had a losing overall record, but claimed the NFC South Division title to punch its ticket and earn a home playoff game. The Bucs won 2 of the final 3 games, but it managed 1-6 ATS mark in the final 7 games, and 2-12-2 ATS in the final 15 games overall.
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Cowboys at Buccaneers odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Sunday at 11:03 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Cowboys -140 (bet $140 to win $100) | Buccaneers +120 (bet $100 to win $120)
- Against the spread (ATS): Cowboys -2.5 (-115) | Buccaneers +2.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 45.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Cowboys at Buccaneers key injuries
Cowboys
- CB Trayvon Mullen (illness) out
Buccaneers
- CB Carlton Davis III (shoulder) questionable
- S Mike Edwards (hip) questionable
- OG Nick Leverett (knee, shoulder) doubtful
- OL John Molchon (ankle) questionable
- S Keanu Neal (hip) questionable
- TE Kyle Rudolph (knee) doubtful
- S Logan Ryan (knee) questionable
- OT Donovan Smith (foot) questionable
- NT Vita Vea (calf) questionable
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Cowboys at Buccaneers picks and predictions
Prediction
Cowboys 26, Buccaneers 17
Moneyline
The COWBOYS (-140) haven’t had a lot of success on the road, especially down the stretch. Dallas won just 2 of its final 6 games on the road.
The good news for Cowboys nation and side bettors is that Dallas is tremendously healthy heading into this playoff game, while Tampa Bay has several key members of the team dotting the injury report. Advantage Pokes.
Against the spread
COWBOYS -2.5 (-115) have history working against them, as QB Tom Brady has never lost to Dallas in 7 career tries. Of course, there are a lot of things Brady hasn’t done before, which happened in this uneven season. For instance, he never made the playoffs with a sub-.500 team. In fact, as a starting QB, his team has never been below .500 since his 2002 New England Patriots team was 3-4.
The Buccaneers +2.5 (-105) will have their boisterous crowd behind them. That likely won’t be enough, however, as loud fans aren’t playing. The fact that Edwards, Neal and Ryan are on the injury report, and each listed as questionable, is a problem. Even if 1 of those guys is sidelined, it will cause mismatches downfield. Dallas will likely be trying to go over the top early and often. And if Vea is out, that hurts the pass rush and run stopping capabilities.
The Cowboys have no such injury concerns, and that’s the difference here, despite what Brady’s historical numbers are.
Over/Under
UNDER 45.5 (-110) is the lean, as both sides have tremendous defense.
Yes, as mentioned above, there is some concern with the Tampa Bay defense, particularly on the back end. But the Under is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings in this series, including just 22 total points in Week 1.
The Under is also 9-4-1 in the last 14 road games for the Cowboys, and 4-1 in the last 5 showings in January.
The Under is 4-1 in the last 5 playoff home games for the Bucs, while going 15-5 in the last 20 games against NFC teams. The Under is also 12-3 in the last 15 games for Tampa following a straight-up loss.
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