Cowboys vs Buccaneers prediction & pick
The finale of the Wild Card round will pin the Dallas Cowboys against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in southern Florida. While neither team finished the regular season on a high note, Monday night is the perfect opportunity to bounce back. Oddsmakers expect a close contest between Dak Prescott and Tom Brady as the Cowboys are favored by less than a field goal, but when the GOAT is on the other sideline, the Bucs can never be fully counted out.
Our experts analyzed this matchup and came up with their Cowboys vs. Buccaneers predictions, so let’s take a look and see which side they're taking for this exciting showdown.
Cowboys vs Buccaneers prediction: 2023 NFL Playoffs Wild Card Weekend
Dak Prescott has the 2nd most playoff wins of any NFC quarterback in the playoffs this season. However, it’s not as glorious as it sounds. Prescott is 1-3 in the playoffs in his career, and only Tom Brady has more playoff wins. Brady enters Monday night with a 35-12 record in the playoffs in his career, which is truly remarkable considering every other NFC quarterback in the playoffs has played in a combined 8 playoff games. Brady brings the experience for the Bucs while Prescott brings the athleticism for the Cowboys.
Neither quarterback performed well at the end of the regular season as Brady and the Bucs lost to rookie QB Desmond Ridder and the Falcons while the Cowboys lost to rookie QB Sam Howell and the Commanders. But there’s no better time to put that bad loss behind them than on the playoff stage. The winner of this game will face either the Minnesota Vikings or the New York Giants, but before either team can get there, they must win on Monday night.
Cowboys vs Bucs odds, point spread & betting lines
This Wild Card round finale is expected to be a good one, as oddsmakers have made a spread of less than a field goal. Here are the odds for Monday’s game courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Spread: DAL -2.5 \ TB +2.5
Money Line: DAL -140 \ TB +120
Total: Over/Under 45.5 points
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In addition to the spread, money line, and total for this game, there is also an abundance of player prop bets available. You can take the props straight up or add them to a Same Game Parlay, it’s your choice! Here are some of the most bet-on and popular players for Monday’s game.
Dak Prescott: Over/Under 246.5 passing yards
Tom Brady: Over/Under 276.5 passing yards
CeeDee Lamb: Over/Under 72.5 receiving yards
Mike Evans: Over/Under 65.5 receiving yards
Ezekiel Elliott: Over/Under 49.5 rushing yards
Leonard Fournette: Over/Under 35.5 rushing yards
Our Cowboys vs Bucs pick: Cowboys (-110) at DraftKings
After analyzing this matchup, our Cowboys vs. Bucs prediction is on the Cowboys to cover the spread. The storyline around Dak Prescott has been overwhelmingly negative this week as a result of the Cowboys' terrible performance in the season-ending game at Washington. Prescott doesn't seem to be reading coverages correctly or currently trusting his eyes, but with extra rest and a chance to watch more film, Prescott could come out more confident on Monday.
Ironically, Matthew Stafford received the same criticism last year during his Super Bowl run for the Rams since he led the league in pick-sixes and interceptions. Now, I don’t think Dallas is talented enough to win the Super Bowl, but they do seem undervalued at anything less than a field goal.
Tom Brady, who seems to only get better as the playoffs get closer, is definitely the primary factor working in Tampa's favor. The quarterback has had a solid season at 45 years old, but he does have an uphill battle ahead against Micah Parsons and the elite Cowboys defensive line. In the secondary, Dallas has a slight advantage over the Bucs, which has struggled lately and has been rated 28th in passing defense value-added since Week 10. Neither team boasts an exceptional secondary, so it appears that whoever takes advantage of the passing game more could be the winner of this game.
In conclusion, the Buccaneers are lucky to be in his position. Their division is arguably the worst in football since Tampa Bay was able to reach the playoffs with a losing record. I think the Cowboys can do enough to win this game and cover the small spread in the process.
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