Bucs vs. Cowboys Week 1 Betting: Two Top NFC Teams Engage in Sunday Night Showdown

Written by: Devon Platana

Published: Wed Sep 07, 2022, 8:27 am ET

Read Time: 4 minutes

Chiefs vs. Bucs Week 4 SNF Betting: Can Brady Win Back-to-Back Games Against Mahomes? cover

nfl

FINAL

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Dallas Cowboys

See Picks & Statistics For The Game

After months without meaningful professional football, Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season is finally here. Fans are looking forward to most of this week's matchups, however, one tilt that stands out above the rest is a collision between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys and Buccaneers are projected to be two of the better NFC teams with some serious offensive potential. Any duel between Dak Prescott and Tom Brady is bound to be fun to watch, which is why it's fitting that it'll be this week's Sunday Night Football game.

Dak Prescott on @ESPN on the Cowboys opening the season with the Buccaneers and then the Bengals pic.twitter.com/Y6ullzPz9f

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 30, 2022

As usual, some bettors will be looking to add some extra excitement to the fun. Fortunately, Betting News has gathered all of the important odds for the Bucs vs. Cowboys matchup, as well as a prediction and best bets for the affair.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Dallas Cowboys Week 1 Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

Matchup: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-0, 0-0 Away) vs. Dallas Cowboys (0-0, 0-0 Home)
Venue & Location: AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
Date: Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022
Game Time: 8:20 p.m. Eastern Time
Bucs vs. Cowboys Info: NBC, NFL+

Bucs vs. Cowboys Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline. Odds from other top online sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Spread

Tampa Bay Buccaneers -2.5 (-110)
Dallas Cowboys +2.5 (-110)

Over/Under

Over 50.5 (-110)
Under 50.5 (-110)

Moneyline

Tampa Bay Buccaneers -136
Dallas Cowboys +116

Bucs vs. Cowboys Betting Trends

Tampa Bay is 2-7 straight up in its last nine games against Dallas.
Dallas is 2-4 straight up in its last six Week 1 matchups.
Tampa Bay is 7-3 against the spread (ATS) in its last 10 games.
Dallas is 11-2 ATS in its last 13 games against NFC teams.
The total has hit the under in each of Tampa Bay's last eight games against NFC teams.
The total has hit the under in five of Dallas' last six games against Tampa Bay.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Dallas Cowboys Prediction and Picks

Bucs vs. Cowboys Prediction: Bucs 28, Cowboys 20

Bucs vs. Cowboys Picks: Bucs -2.5 (Best Value: -110 at BetOnline) & Under 51 Points (Best Value: -110 at BetMGM)

The Cowboys and Bucs last met during the 2021 NFL season and it was quite the game to watch. It was quite the back-and-forth affair that wasn't decided until a last-second field goal by Ryan Succop gave Tampa Bay the 31-29 victory.

While both teams look quite similar this year, they're also looking different. The Cowboys no longer have Greg Hardy on defense, nor do they have Amari Cooper, who torched Tampa Bay's secondary with 139 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns on 13 catches.

On the other hand, the Buccaneers lost names like Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski since the last meeting. Nevertheless, they replaced those losses with the likes of Russell Gage, Julio Jones and Kyle Rudolph, in addition to a core that already included Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Leonard Fournette.

Besides, Tom Brady is throwing them the ball so chances are that everyone will be just fine.

The Bucs' chances of success will depend on Tom Brady's chemistry with his new pass-catchers.

While Tampa Bay's offense is loaded with talent, the Cowboys m be without No. 2 WR Michael Gallup, who might miss the Sunday night showdown due to injury. Even if he does end up playing, there's no telling how he can help Dallas whilst being at less than 100%.

In other words, outside of CeeDee Lamb, Dalton Schultz and Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys could have trouble moving the ball as efficiently as they normally do.

Again, I think that both teams will put on quite the show for fans, but the Buccaneers are the more well-rounded, deeper group here. If they can test the Cowboys' offensive line and get to Prescott early and often, they should be able to build a comfortable lead.

Considering that the Cowboys don't have the best success in Week 1, I'm predicting that the Buccaneers will cover the 2.5-point spread. However, I'm also advocating for taking the under on the total since that's usually the trend when the two NFL teams meet.