The final game of the NFL Wild Card round will take place on Monday, January 16, in Florida, so make sure you get the best Cowboys vs. Buccaneers betting pick and odds.

Both Dallas and Tampa Bay are hoping to return to winning ways when they meet at Raymond James Stadium. The Cowboys are -2.5 favorites on Jazz Sportsbook, while the total is set at 45.5 points. These conference rivals faced once this year, and the Buccaneers won 19-3 in Dallas.

Cowboys fell flat in an ugly loss against the Commanders

The Dallas Cowboys (12-5-0, 9-7-1 ATS) were on a two-game winning run but failed to conclude the regular season with a victory. The Cowboys scored just six points and were kept off the scoreboard in D.C. by the Washington Commanders in a 26-6 loss. Dallas utterly deserved to lose this game as the visitors were inferior in total yards (182-309), first downs (10-16), and possession (23:48-36:12). The Cowboys also made a costly error that Washington converted into a touchdown in the second quarter.

Dak Prescott completed 14 of 37 passes for 128 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. It was one of the worst displays from Prescott this year. He found CeeDee Lamb in the end zone for the only TD of the game for Dallas – Lamb had a team-high 52 yards on five receptions. The run offense didn’t work for the Cowboys; they collected 64 rushing yards on 24 attempts. On defense, Chauncey Golston was great with a game-high 11 tackles.

C Tyler Biadasz (ankle), LB Leighton Vander Esch (shoulder), and DT Johnathan Hankins (pectoral) are questionable to play on Monday against Tampa Bay.

Buccaneers’ second-half meltdown cost them a win in Atlanta

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9, 4-12-1 ATS) managed to reach the playoffs despite being the only team in the NFL to make the postseason with a negative (under .500) record. Luckily for them, the NFC South was very weak this year, so even the most recent loss to the Atlanta Falcons didn’t hurt the Buccaneers in the playoff hunt. Tampa Bay had a 17-10 lead at halftime in Atlanta but failed to score in the second half and surrendered 20 points in a 30-17 defeat. The Falcons were better in total yards (382-222), first downs (22-12), and possession (34:49-25:11. It was evident that the Bucs are not interested in this game, especially in the second half as head coach Todd Bowles pulled out his starters.

Tom Brady completed 13 of 17 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. Blaine Gabbert, his deputy, completed six of eight passes for 29 yards and a touchdown. Russell Gage and Kyle Rudolph scored receiving touchdowns, while Chris Godwin led the team with 55 yards on six catches. As usual, the Buccaneers didn’t use their run offense a lot – they had 86 yards on 20 carries. Defensively, Antoine Winfield Jr. was solid with a game-high 13 tackles.

LB Shaquil Barrett (Achilles) and G Aaron Stinnie (knee) are out indefinitely. WR Julio Jones (knee), CB Logan Ryan (undisclosed), LB Carl Nassib (pectoral), C Ryan Jensen (knee), CB Carlton Davis III (shoulder), S Mike Edwards (hip), and T Robert Hainsey (hamstring) are questionable to feature on Monday against the Cowboys.

Trends:

Dallas:

  • 7-1 ATS in the last eight games following an ATS loss
  • 19-6-1 ATS in the last 26 games following a straight-up loss of more than 14 points

Tampa Bay:

  • 3-12-1 ATS in the last 16 games overall
  • 2-7-1 ATS in the last ten home games
  • 1-5 ATS in the last six Wild Card games

Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pick

Tampa Bay does have the second-best pass offense in the NFL that averages 269.8 yards per game, but the Bucs are averaging just 18.4 points per game and are 25th in that regard. Dallas, on the other hand, has the fourth-best offense in the league that scores 27.5 ppg, and the fifth-best defense that allows 20.1 ppg. Dallas did lose the Week 1 tilt against Tampa Bay, but things have changed a lot since, and now the Cowboys are better as a whole. They have the ability to beat the Buccaneers and I am backing them to do it on Monday.

Pick: Take the Cowboys at -1.5 (-130)

The Total

Tampa’s offense has been struggling this season, and I don’t think it will suddenly erupt in this Wild Card game. Dallas knows how to play offense, especially pass rush that will try to limit Tom Brady and torture his offensive line. While I don’t believe we will have another low-scoring affair like it was in Week 1 (22 points), I do expect strong defense from each side. Under is 6-1 in the last seven H2H meetings; Under is 9-4-1 in the Cowboys’ previous 14 road games, while Under is 4-1 in the Buccaneers’ last five playoff home games.

Pick: Go Under 47.5 points (-133)