Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Dallas Cowboys Prediction, Preview and Odds - 12/22/2024

Game Time: 8:20 pm ET, Sunday, December 22, 2024

Venue:  AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX

Where to Watch:  NBC

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Buccaneers -4, Cowboys +4; Over/Under:  48 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Buccaneers -4, Cowboys +4; Over/Under:  48.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Buccaneers -4, Cowboys +4; Over/Under:  48.5 points

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  8-6 (1st place, NFC South)

Dallas Cowboys:  6-8 (3rd place, NFC East)

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  won their last game on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers 40-17.

Dallas Cowboys:  won their last game on the road against the Carolina Panthers 30-14.

The Buccaneers are entering this game with an 8-6 record overall and they have a 2-2 record in their divisional games too. They are 3-4 in their home games, 5-2 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against the Los Angeles Chargers 40-17. Baker Mayfield was the starting QB and he completed 22/27 passes for 288 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Bucky Irving led the team in rushing yards with 117. Mike Evans led the receivers with 159 receiving yards on 9 receptions and 2 TDs. Lavonte David led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles and 4 assisted tackles while Lavonte David and Logan Hall each led the defense in sacks with 1.5. Jamel Dean came away with the only interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

The Cowboys are entering this game with a 6-8 record overall and they have a 3-1 record in their divisional games too. They are 1-6 in their home games, 5-2 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against the Carolina Panthers 30-14. Cooper Rush was the starting QB and he completed 18/29 passes for 214 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Rico Dowdle led the team in rushing yards with 149. CeeDee Lamb led the receivers with 116 receiving yards on 9 receptions and 1 TD. Donovan Wilson led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 0 assisted tackles while Micah Parsons led the defense in sacks with 2. Eric Kendricks and Israel Mukuamu each came away with 1 interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have the Buccaneers listed as a 4 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Buccaneers have looked good in their games this season with their 8-6 record overall which has them leading the NFC South at the moment. They have the Falcons right on their tail at 7-7, but the Bucs were trailing in this division for a while and now they have the lead with the ability to control their own destiny too. They have been a better road team this season with their 5-2 road record and they are going to have a ton of momentum in this game, coming off a huge 40-17 win over the Chargers last week. Meanwhile, the Cowboys haven't looked good in their games this season with their 6-8 record overall which has them in 3rd place of the NFC East. They are still alive to make the playoffs, but they really don't have a great chance as they are not in control of their own destiny. They are coming off a win over the Panthers last week and have looked a lot better in their games lately, but the Bucs have a better defense than some of the teams they have been playing against lately and they also have a much better offense too. The Cowboys have looked better with Cooper Rush lately, but they have folded against better teams and the Buccaneers are going to be motivated with the position they are in at the moment. The best way to place a bet here is on the Buccaneers to cover the spread in this game. 

Buccaneers Cowboys Prediction:  Our NFL Pick for Sunday, December 22, 2024 (8:20 pm ET start time) is Buccaneers 26 Cowboys 18.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 4-8 ATS after scoring 30 points or more last game. 0-6 ATS vs. poor passing defenses - allowing 7 or more passing yards/att. 4-10 ATS vs. bad defensive teams who give up 24 or more points/game. 18-8 UNDER as a favorite. 9-5 UNDER vs. bad defensive teams who give up 24 or more points/game. 8-4 UNDER versus poor rushing defenses - allowing 4.5 rushing yards/carry or more.

Dallas Cowboys: 9-4 ATS vs. poor passing defenses - allowing 235 or more passing yards/game. 13-6 ATS versus poor defensive teams - allowing 5.65 yards/play or more. 9-3 ATS versus poor defensive teams - allowing 350 yards/game or more. 4-1 UNDER against NFC South division opponents. 11-6 UNDER vs. good offensive teams - scoring 24 or more points/game.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  T. Palmer (WR) Injured - Illness B. Mayfield (QB) Injured - Knee. C. Otton (TE) Injured - Knee. K. Johnson (WR) Injured - Ankle. S. Shepard (WR) Injured - Foot. W. Gholston (DL) Injured - Knee. M. Evans (WR) Injured - Rest. K. Britt (LB) Injured - Ankle. M. Edwards (SAF) Injured - Hamstring. A. Winfield (SAF) Injured - Knee. C. Izien (SAF) Injured - Groin. L. Hall (DL) Injured - Shoulder. B. Irving (RB) Injured - Back. T. Smith (SAF) Injured - Knee. T. Wirfs (T) Injured - Foot.

Dallas Cowboys:  J. Brooks (WR) Injured - Knee. M. Hooker (SAF) Injured - Ankle. C. Edoga (G) Injured - Ankle. D. Wilson (SAF) Injured - Elbow. M. Smith (DT) Injured - Back. T. Bass (G) Injured - Thigh. J. Lewis (CB) Injured - Elbow. E. Kendricks (MLB) Injured - Rest. N. Vigil (LB) Injured - Foot. T. Diggs (CB) Injured - Knee. C. Lamb (WR) Injured - Shoulder. R. Dowdle (RB) Injured - Knee. T. Smith (OL) Injured - Ankle. J. Thomas (SAF) Injured - Knee. C. Beebe (OG) Injured - Concussion.

“That’s huge. It’s December football, you know. We’re trying to stop the run, and we’re trying to run the football. Today, we did a good job.” - Todd Bowles after his team’s win against the LA Chargers in their last game. 

“Cooper, I thought his touchdown throws were huge. He extended the one play and hit JT in the corner of the end zone and that was a huge, huge play.” - Mike McCarthy after his team’s win against the Panthers in their last game. 

WR Evans, Mike

WR McMillan, Jalen 

WR Shepard, Sterling

TE Otton, Cade 

QB Mayfield, Baker

RB Irving, Bucky 

WR Tolbert, Jalen

WR Cooks, Brandin 

WR Lamb, CeeDee

TE Ferguson, Jake

QB Rush, Cooper

RB Dowdle, Rico

FB Luepke, Hunter

Passing: B. Mayfield (3617)

Rushing: B. Irving (852)

Receiving: M. Evans (749)

Touchdowns: M. Evans (9)

Passing: D. Prescott (1978)

Rushing: R. Dowdle (880)

Receiving: C. Lamb (1089)

Touchdowns: C. Lamb (6)

Coaches:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Todd Bowles (3rd season)

Dallas Cowboys: Mike McCarthy (5th season)