The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+7) are flying west to battle the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. FOX will televise the action and kickoff will take place at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Week 16 Betting Preview: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys
Tampa Bay is the road underdog in this NFC game and is currently being given 7 points. The Buccaneers are also receiving +230 moneyline odds while the Cowboys are -280. There will likely be multiple good live betting opportunities for this contest, and oddsmakers have determined the over/under (O/U) to be 46 points.
The Buccaneers are 6-7-1 against the spread (ATS) and are down 1.8 units so far. The team has posted an O/U record of 8-6.
The Cowboys have gained 4.5 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 7-6-1 ATS and have an O/U record of 6-8.
The Buccaneers are 5-9 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Cowboys are 8-6 SU.
The Bucs are hoping to get back in stride after a 20-12 defeat to Baltimore last weekTheir defense allowed the Ravens to run for 242 yards on 49 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. Gus Edwards had a productive day for the Ravens in that one with 104 rushing yards and a score on 19 attempts. On the offensive side, Jameis Winston completed just 13-of-25 passes for 157 yards and one interception. Peyton Barber (85 yards on 19 rush attempts, one TD) led the ground attack. Mike Evans (four receptions, 121 yards) and Adam Humphries (four catches, 23 yards) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
Dallas were just blanked 23-0 by Indianapolis in Week 15. The team’s defense allowed the Colts to run for 178 yards on 39 rush attempts, including two rush TDs. Marlon Mack had a good showing in the win, recording 139 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 27 attempts for Indianapolis. For Dallas, Dak Prescott completed 24-of-39 passes for 206 yards and one interception. Ezekiel Elliott really did it all in the loss. Along with 87 rushing yards on 18 attempts, Elliott also reeled in seven receptions for 41 yards.
Tampa Bay’s run the ball on 38.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Dallas has a rush percentage of 46.2 percent. The Buccaneers have run for 97.7 yards per game and have 10 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Cowboys are logging 130.9 rush yards per game and have 11 total rushing TDs.
If 2018 results are any indication, then it appears the Cowboys should hold an edge in all aspects of the ground game. Their backfield has produced 4.7 yards per carry while the defense has allowed a YPC of 3.7 to opponents. The Buccaneers have ran for 4.0 yards per carry while allowing a YPC of 4.8 to opponents.
The Bucs offense has logged 334.1 yards per contest in the air overall and has 31 passing TDs so far. The Cowboys have recorded 238.4 pass yards per outing and have 17 total pass scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, Tampa Bay has allowed 128.1 rush yards and 274.2 pass yards per game. The Dallas defense has allowed 239.1 yards per game to opposing passers and 93.4 yards per game to opposing runners. The Cowboys are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 6.47 to opponents, while the Buccaneers have allowed a 7.72 ANY/A.
Offensively, Winston is up to 2,098 passing yards on the year, and has connected on 66 percent of his 257 attempts with 12 scores through the air and 12 interceptions. He has a 6.16 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 4.12 over the past two outings.
Dak Prescott has managed to complete 267-of-403 passes for 2,882 yards, 14 TDs and six INTs for Dallas. His ANY/A stands at 5.75 for the year and 5.44 over his last two games.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Dallas Cowboys NFL Prediction
SU Winner: Cowboys, ATS Winner: Buccaneers, O/U: Under
Team Betting Trends
- Dallas has lost nine fumbles this season while Tampa Bay has let seven get away.
- The Tampa Bay D has 36 sacks on the year while Dallas has 35.
- Tampa Bay has averaged 4.1 yards per carry over its past three games and 4.3 over its last two.
- Dallas has averaged 4.0 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.4 over its last two.
- In its last three games, Dallas is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Tampa Bay’s previous game was set at 44.5. The under cashed in the team’s 20-12 loss to Baltimore.
- In its last three matches, Tampa Bay is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in each of those three.
- The Over/Under for Dallas’ last game was set at 47. The under cashed in the team’s 23-0 defeat to Indianapolis.
