The Dallas Cowboys are coming off another disappointing effort against the New York Giants in just their second loss of the season on Sunday Night Football. Now they will step right back under the bright lights in primetime with an opportunity to bounce back when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night in a game that will have major playoff implications.
Moneyline: Dallas -330
Handicap/Spread Odds: Cowboys -7
Total O/U: 46
Last 5 Meetings: (Road/Home – Spread/Total)
| 11/15/15 | DAL 6 – TB 10 | TB 1 | U 43.5 |
| 09/23/12 | TB 10 – DAL 16 | TB 9 | U 45.5 |
| 12/17/11 | DAL 31 – TB 15 | DAL -7 | U 47 |
| 09/13/09 | DAL 34 – TB 21 | DAL -4.5 | DAL -4.5 |
| 10/26/08 | TB 9 – DAL 13 | DAL -1 | U 40.5 |
On The Buccaneers Side of the Ball (8-5 Record, 8-5 ATS)
The Buccaneers doubled down as playoff contenders with a 16-11 win over the New Orleans Saints to extend their win streak to five in a row ahead of a massive showdown with Dallas this week. Jameis Winston has formed a solid connection with Mike Evans and that tandem is a big reason why Tampa Bay is holding down a Wild Card spot in the NFC. Winston has thrown for 3,364 yards and 23 touchdowns while Evans has 80 receptions for 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. Running back Doug Martin is listed as questionable for this week but he practiced on Wednesday and should be good to go. The Buccaneers will need him and Jacquizz Rodgers in order to give them the balance they need on offense. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay defense will have its hands full trying to slow down Dak Prescott and company but considering what they did to Brees and the Saints last week there is reason for hope.
Last 5 Results:
| 12/11/16 | NO | W 16-11 | W -2 | U 52 |
| 12/04/16 | @SD | W 28-21 | W 3.5 | P 49 |
| 11/27/16 | SEA | W 14-5 | W 5 | U 46 |
| 11/20/16 | @KC | W 19-17 | W 7 | U 45 |
| 11/13/16 | CHI | W 36-10 | W 2.5 | O 45 |
On The Cowboys Side of the Ball (11-2 Record, 9-4 ATS)
The Cowboys 11-game win streak came to a crashing halt in their second loss of the year to the Giants as they fell 10-7 on the road. The New York defense did an excellent job limiting the running lanes for Ezekiel Elliott and forced Prescott in to obvious passing situations in which they were able to get after him. Prescott was held to 17-of-37 passing for just 165 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions and was sacked three times. The offensive line will have to do a better job of protecting Prescott this week and it will certainly help if Dallas is able to establish Elliott and the run game early on. The defense will do its best to slow down the Winston-Evans connection but ultimately the Cowboys need their offense to carry them the way they have so far this season.
Last 5 Results:
| 12/11/16 | @NYG | L 7-10 | L -3.5 | U 47 |
| 12/01/16 | @MIN | W 17-15 | L -3 | U 43.5 |
| 11/24/16 | WAS | W 31-26 | L -5.5 | O 53 |
| 11/20/16 | BAL | W 27-17 | W -7 | U 44.5 |
| 11/13/16 | @PIT | W 35-30 | W 3 | O 50.5 |
Quick Analysis
Tampa Bay is 4-0 against the spread in its last four road games but this will be its toughest test yet. Dallas is 4-1 against the spread in its last five home games and 9-4 against the spread overall this season. The fact that the line is at Cowboys -7 is proof that the sportsbooks are willing to give the Buccaneers that key number and right now 63% of the public money is on Tampa Bay to cover.
Prediction
For as bad as the Cowboys looked on Sunday Night Football last week, they are still 0-2 against the Giants and 11-0 against the rest of the NFL this season. Dallas will be motivated to bounce back with a much stronger performance this week and the home advantage should help. The Buccaneers have been extremely impressive during their win streak but it’s hard to envision them going in to Cowboys Stadium and pulling off the upset on the road. When you take a look at the Bucs recent success – and their season – they have done it in spite of a run defense that wasn’t particularly strong. That figures to be their undoing against Elliott and the Cowboys impressive offensive line.
Pick: Cowboys -7
Note: Lines subject to change leading up to kick-off, so please be aware of the possibility of line movements.
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