2 Best NFL Bets and Predictions for Buccaneers at Cowboys on Sunday Night Football

Urgency is high for very different reasons as longtime NFC rivals clash on this week's primetime showcase.

The 8-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on a quest to prove last year's playoff run was no fluke, are in the driver's seat in the NFC South. If they win out, they'll be back in the dance, and an emphatic statement was made with a road win at SoFi over the Los Angeles Chargers last week.

The 6-8 Dallas Cowboys' playoff hopes are on life support, but Mike McCarthy and the staff are playing for their jobs -- and doing so well. They're 3-1 in their last four games.

Who will keep marching in the right direction?

Using the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as a guide, here are the best bets for this week's Sunday night game.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook. Lines may change after this article is published.

Buccaneers at Cowboys Betting Picks

Cowboys +3.5 (-104)
Cowboys Moneyline (+166)

Oddsmakers are giving a hook here begging for some action on the 'Boys, but they're not getting it. 81% of the bets and 88% of the money at FanDuel are behind the visitors in this one.

Getting such a nice number if this came down to a late field goal or overtime, I sort of feel inclined to buy this Dallas resurgence. It might have truly been just a matter of getting their key pieces -- other than Dak Prescott -- healthy.

Since Micah Parsons and DaRon Bland re-entered the Dallas lineup, the Cowboys' leaky defense is significantly less of an issue. They're a much more respectable 18th in Offensive Net Expected Points (NEP) per play allowed in this stretch. That's better than Tampa Bay (25th).

Cooper Rush is also...cooking? At 0.05 expected points added per drop back (EPA/db), Rush is 13th among qualifying quarterbacks in that category over the last four weeks. Baker Mayfield (0.14 EPA/db) is 9th.

Tampa Bay's strength on defense is their rush D, but Dallas has the league's 12th-highest pass rate over expectation (PROE). The Cowboys are used to being a one-dimensional offense, so that advantage might be lessened relative to another opponent.

With neither defense playing at a stellar level, there should be scoring as this game's 48.5-point total implies -- but that's just fair rather than value when Dallas' improvement on that end might be a bit underrated. I think this should be a battle to the end, and Mike McCarthy is 1-0 with a +17 point differential over Todd Bowles in Bucs-Cowboys battles that didn't feature Tom Brady.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.