The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face off against the Dallas Cowboys at 8:20 ET on Sunday, December 22nd. This matchup is being played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

On Sunday, December 22nd, the Buccaneers and Cowboys will face off at 8:20 ET on NBC. The game, being played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX, features the Buccaneers as -207 money line favorites. Tampa Bay is the road team and the Cowboys are +172 on the money line. The current point spread has the Buccaneers favored by -4 points. The over/under line is set at 49.5 points.

• Date: Sunday, December 22nd
• Time: 8:20 ET
• Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington
• TV: NBC

Buccaneers vs Cowboys

With four straight wins, the Buccaneers have improved to 8-6, putting them in first place in the NFC South and giving them a 79.7% chance of winning the division. Tampa Bay is ranked 8th in our power rankings and has an 81.8% chance of making the playoffs. After a week 10 loss to the 49ers, the Bucs have bounced back with wins over the Giants, Panthers, Raiders, and Chargers. In week 15, they beat the Chargers 40-17 on the road, covering the spread as 3-point underdogs.

Heading into week 16, the Bucs are 9-5 against the spread, including 5-3 as underdogs. Their O/U record is also 9-5, with their games averaging 52.1 points per game. The average line in their games has been 45.4 points.

Heading into week 16, the Cowboys sit 29th in our NFL power rankings, with their playoff chances at just 0.1%. Dallas is 6-8 overall and 3-1 in the NFC East, but they rank 3rd in the division. They’ve been much better on the road (5-2) than at home (1-6) this season.

After two straight losses, the Cowboys bounced back with a 30-14 win over the Panthers in week 15. Dallas was a 2.5-point underdog but covered the spread with a 16-point victory. The combined 44 points went over the 42-point line. In week 14, the Cowboys lost 27-20 to the Bengals, and they beat the Giants 27-20 in week 13.

Buccaneers Injury Report

• Kameron Johnson – Ankle (Questionable)
• SirVocea Dennis – Shoulder (Out)
• Silas Dzansi – Knee (Out)
• Markees Watts – Quad (Questionable)
• Bryce Hall – Ankle (Out)
• Eric Banks – Undisclosed (Out)
• Antoine Winfield Jr. – Knee (Questionable)
• K.J. Britt – Ankle (Questionable)
• Sua Opeta – Knee (Out)
• Cody Thompson – Shoulder (Out)
• Mike Edwards – Hamstring (Questionable)
• Jordan Whitehead – Pectoral (Out)
• Chase Edmonds – Knee (Out)
• Chris Godwin – Ankle (Out)
• Troy Hill – Foot/knee (Out)

Cowboys Injury Report

• Jourdan Lewis – Elbow (Questionable)
• Dak Prescott – Hamstring (Out)
• DeMarcus Lawrence – Foot (Out)
• Zack Martin – Ankle/shoulder (Out)
• Chuma Edoga – Ankle (Questionable)
• Trevon Diggs – Knee (Out)
• Juanyeh Thomas – Knee (Questionable)
• John Stephens Jr. – Knee (Out)
• Cooper Beebe – Concussion (Questionable)
• Josh Butler – Knee (Out)
• Earl Bostick Jr. – Leg (Out)
• DeMarvion Overshown – Knee (Out)
• T.J. Bass – Thigh (Questionable)
• Asim Richards – Ankle (Out)
• Sam Williams – Knee (Out)
• Markquese Bell – Shoulder (Out)
• Caelen Carson – Shoulder (Out)
• Nathan Thomas – Undisclosed (Out)

Buccaneers Offense Breakdown

Heading into week 16, the Buccaneers are 4th in the NFL in points per game (28.8) and 3rd in yards per game (388.4). They’ve been strong on the ground, ranking 10th in rushing attempts and 4th in rushing yards per game (144.4). Tampa Bay has also been quick starters, leading the league in first-quarter scoring. However, they’ve struggled in the red zone, ranking 28th in conversion percentage.

Baker Mayfield is coming off a 4-touchdown performance in week 15, throwing for 288 yards (22/27) against the Chargers. Mike Evans had 9 catches for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Bucky Irving rushed for 117 yards on 15 carries. Tampa Bay ranks 3rd in the NFL in 3rd-down conversions.

Cowboys Offense Breakdown

Heading into week 16, the Cowboys rank 25th in our offensive power rankings. They are 16th in the NFL in points per game (21.3) and yards per game (328.9). Dallas is 12th in passing yards per game (229.1) and 2nd in passing attempts, with 38.5 per game. On the ground, they rank 25th in rushing yards per game (99.8) and 22nd in attempts. The Cowboys are 23rd in 3rd-down conversions, with a rate of 36.3%, but they are 7th in red zone conversion percentage.

Cooper Rush had a strong performance in week 15, throwing for 214 yards and 3 touchdowns without an interception against the Panthers. Rico Dowdle rushed for 149 yards on 25 carries, and CeeDee Lamb caught 9 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. Dallas scored 30 points, with 14 coming in the 3rd quarter, and converted 6 of 12 3rd-down attempts while going 3/4 in the red zone.

Buccaneers Team Defense

Despite allowing two passing touchdowns, the Buccaneers’ defense stepped up in their most recent game, coming away with a 40-17 win over the Chargers. Tampa Bay gave up just 32 rushing yards on 11 attempts and held the Chargers to 174 yards passing. The defense also forced the Chargers to go 0% on third down conversions.

The Buccaneers recorded three sacks, picked off one pass, and limited the Chargers to 5.1 yards per attempt in the passing game. Offensively, the Buccaneers allowed just 206 yards in the game.

Cowboys Team Defense

In their most recent game, the Cowboys’ defense was able to force two interceptions and came away with six sacks in their 30-14 win over the Panthers. The Cowboys’ defense was also tough on third downs, allowing the Panthers to convert just 27.3% of their third down attempts. Despite giving up 175 passing yards, the Cowboys’ defense allowed just 60 rushing yards on 16 attempts.

The Panthers finished with 235 total yards against the Cowboys, and Dallas limited them to a 67.9% completion percentage. Even though the Panthers did find the endzone through the air, the Cowboys were able to limit their big plays, as the Panthers averaged just 6.2 yards per pass attempt.

Buccaneers vs Cowboys Trends

• When looking at their past three road matchups, Tampa Bay has an ATS record of 2-1 while averaging 32 per game. The team went 3-0 overall in these games.
• Dallas has played well in their previous three home games, going 2-1 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 28 points per game while allowing 22. The team also performed well vs the spread at 2-1.
• Looking back on the team’s last five games as the underdog, the Cowboys have a straight up record of 2-3. Their record vs the spread in these games was 2-3.
• Tampa Bay has done well both straight up and vs the spread when favored to win the game, going 3-0 SU and 3-0 ATS in their last three games.

Buccaneers vs Cowboys Prediction

Our pick against the spread in this week 16 matchup between the Buccaneers and Cowboys is to take the Cowboys to cover as home underdogs. Currently, the line is sitting at +4 in favor of the Buccaneers, and we have the Cowboys pulling off the upset by a score of 24-22.

As for the over/under, with the line at 49.5 points, we have a projected combined score of 46 points, making the under a great pick for this matchup.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.