Cowboys vs Buccaneers Prediction, Odds & Best Bets for NFC Wild Card Playoff Game (Dallas Gets Revenge for Week 1)

Cowboys vs Buccaneers Wild Card Game Info

2022 NFL Playoffs — NFC Wild Card Game
Dallas Cowboys (12-5, 4-4 Away) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9, 5-4 Home)
Date: Monday, Jan. 16, 2022
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Venue: Raymond James Stadium — Tampa, FL
Coverage: ESPN, ABC, ESPN+

The NFL's Wild Card Round is here, bringing an exciting NFC matchup as the Dallas Cowboys are set to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.

The Cowboys' regular season ended on a sour note, falling 26-6 to the Washington Commanders. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers also enter the postseason on a loss, losing 30-17 to the Atlanta Falcons in a game that saw Tampa Bay rest its starters as the contest went on in preparation for the playoffs.

Can the Cowboys exorcise their postseason demons with a road victory on Monday? Or will the Buccaneers erase their regular-season woes with a memorable performance at Raymond James Stadium?

Cowboys vs Buccaneers Odds & Spread

All NFL betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
Moneyline: DAL (-152) | TB: (+128)
Spread: DAL: -3 (-105) | TB: +3 (-115)
Total: 45.5 —Over: (-105) | Under: (-115)

The Cowboys enter this contest as slim road favorites on the moneyline and spread on FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This NFC Wild Card matchup also features an over/under of 45.5 with the under being favored at -115 odds.

Cowboys vs Buccaneers Prediction & Pick

In a Week 1 rematch, I fully expect the Cowboys to pull out a victory here. While they haven't looked perfect lately, the Cowboys have at least won 12 of 16 games since losing to the Buccaneers on Sept. 11, whereas the Buccaneers are 7-9 since then.

The Buccaneers have also only beaten one team with a winning record (Seattle Seahawks) at home this season. Part of that has to do with their having the sixth-worst home scoring margin (minus-1.5). Needless to say, the Bucs could be in trouble with the Cowboys averaging 24.6 points (No. 7) with a plus-4.0 margin (No. 5) on the road.

Although Tom Brady has made a career of stepping up when it matters the most, the Cowboys are the overall better team and shouldn't lose this favorable matchup.

Final Score Prediction: Cowboys: 24 | Buccaneers: 20

Cowboys vs Buccaneers Betting Trends

- Dallas is 12-5 against the spread (ATS) in its last 17 road games.
- Tampa Bay is 9-2 straight up in its last 11 games in January.
- The total has hit the over in five of Dallas' last seven games.
- The total has hit the under in six of Tampa Bay's last seven games against Dallas.

Cowboys vs Buccaneers Best Bet

If anyone is expecting a high-scoring, back-and-forth affair, they may want to temper expectations. The total has gone under in six of the last seven Cowboys-Buccaneers matchups, averaging just 34.7 points in those games. Furthermore, the under is also 5-2 in Dallas' last seven trips to Raymond James Stadium, as well as being 5-0 in Tampa Bay's last five against the NFC East.

Erring on the side of history, especially after combining for just 22 points in Week 1, I'm expecting fewer points than expected.

Bet: Under 45.5 (-115)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.