The Dallas Cowboys (2-6) travel to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5) looking to snap their six-game losing streak. A player to watch is the NFL’s fifth-leading rusher, Doug Martin (643 yards, 3 TDs). It starts at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov 15 and can be seen on FOX.
Tampa Bay dropped one to the Giants 32-18 last week. Mike Evans had a big game in the loss, totaling eight catches for 152 yards. Dallas also fell short, getting beat by the Eagles 33-27. Cole Beasley had an outstanding performance for the Cowboys, registering nine catches for 112 yards and two TDs. Matt Cassel also had a big game with 299 yards and three TDs through the air.
Dallas is a small one-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 43 points.
Heading into Week 10 of league action, the Buccaneers are 3-5 Straight Up (SU) and 4-4 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last five games, the Buccaneers have records of 2-3 SU and 3-2 ATS. Tampa Bay has seen an increase in scoring in recent weeks when compared to its 22.6 points per game average. Over the past five games they’ve averaged 26 points per game. Over those five games, their rushing attack has thrived, averaging 153.4 yards per game. Transitioning to the Tampa Bay defense, there are some factors that could impact the outcome. Expect the Cowboys to have a difficult time throwing the ball against the fourth-best home pass defense in the NFL. The Buccaneers give up 194.8 passing yards per home game. A pivotal part of the game will be if the Cowboys can secure the ball from Tampa Bay’s vicious defense. It averages the most fumbles recovered in the league with 1.1 per game. The Buccaneers may rely on Dallas’s special teams as a means for better field position in this week’s game. The Cowboys rank last in return yards allowed on the road with 109.3 allowed per road game.
Moving to the road team, the Cowboys have 2-6 SU and ATS records this season. The Cowboys went 0-5 SU and 1-4 ATS over the last five games. If their season numbers are an indicator, the Cowboys will look to control the time of possession on offense. They average 153.7 rushing yards per road game, good enough for first in the NFL. The Cowboys could take advantage of Tampa Bay’s reputation as a slow starter on defense. The Buccaneers are 29th in the NFL in first-quarter points allowed with 6.4. Given Tampa Bay’s tendencies, this game could come down to penalties. The Buccaneers have been one of the most penalized teams in the NFL this year, with 81 penalty yards per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – TB, ATS Winner – TB, O/U – Under
Notes
Tampa Bay is 4-16 SU in its last 20 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Tampa Bay’s last 18 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay’s last 5 games.
Tampa Bay is 1-12 SU in its last 13 games at home.
Tampa Bay is 3-10 ATS in its last 13 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay’s last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Tampa Bay’s last 10 games when playing Dallas.
Tampa Bay is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Dallas.
Dallas is 1-3 SU when leading at the half this season. Tampa Bay is 3-2 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
This season, Dallas is only 1-4 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, and an even 1-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
The Tampa Bay defense has forced an average of two turnovers over its last five games. Dallas is an even 2-2 SU this season when turning the ball over at least twice in a game.
The Tampa Bay ground attack is ranked seventh in the league, while the Dallas rush defense is only ranked 18th. The Cowboys’ rushing game is ranked eighth, compared to the 15th-ranked run defense of the Buccaneers.
