The 2022 Week 1 NFL schedule features a high-profile NFC showdown in the Sunday Night Football season-opener. The Dallas Cowboys host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a rematch of the 2021 NFL Kickoff Game. Dallas finished 12-5 last season before falling to the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card round. Tampa Bay posted a 13-4 record before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round.
Kickoff is at 8:20 p.m. ET in Dallas. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Buccaneers as 2.5-point road favorites, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 50.5 in the latest Buccaneers vs. Cowboys odds. Before you make any Cowboys vs. Buccaneers picks, you need to see the NFL predictions and SNF betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer model.
The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up over $7,500 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception. The model enters the 2022 NFL season on an incredible 138-97 run on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season. Amazingly, it hasn’t missed a top-rated pick since Week 15 of last season.
The model also ranked in the top 10 on NFLPickWatch four of the past six years on straight-up NFL picks and beat more than 94% of CBS Sports Football Pick’em players four times during that span. Anyone who has followed it is way up.
Now, the model has set its sights on Buccaneers vs. Cowboys and just locked in its picks and Sunday Night Football predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Now, here are several NFL odds and betting lines for Buccaneers vs. Cowboys:
- Cowboys vs. Buccaneers spread: Buccaneers -2.5
- Cowboys vs. Buccaneers over/under: 50.5 points
- Cowboys vs. Buccaneers money line: Buccaneers -145, Cowboys +122
- TB: Buccaneers were 10-9 against the spread last season
- DAL: Cowboys were 13-5 against the spread last season
- Buccaneers vs. Cowboys picks: See picks here
Featured Game | Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Why the Buccaneers can cover
Tampa Bay’s offense is unquestionably elite, led by Tom Brady. The seven-time Super Bowl champion and three-time NFL MVP was also the runner-up for the 2021 NFL MVP award. The Buccaneers scored the second-most points in the NFL last season, posting top-two marks in the league in first downs and total yards. Brady individually led the NFL in passing yards (5,316), completions (485), and passing touchdowns (43) during the 2021 regular season, connecting on 67.5 percent of his attempts and generating only 12 interceptions.
Brady is also highly adept at avoiding negative plays, including the NFL’s best sack rate (2.97 percent) last season. He is 15-4 in Week 1 starts over the course of his legendary career and flanked by an elite wide receiver in Mike Evans. A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Evans is the first player in NFL history to produce at least 1,000 receiving yards in his first eight seasons in the league. Evans led the league with 14 receiving touchdowns last season.
Why the Cowboys can cover
Dallas has two-way strengths dating back to the 2021 season. The Cowboys led the NFL in scoring offense last season, averaging 31.2 points per game. Dallas was even better at home, generating 36.4 points per game at AT&T Stadium. Dak Prescott is a top-flight quarterback, producing a franchise-record 37 touchdown passes last season and finishing in the top quarter of the NFL in passing yards, passing touchdowns, passer rating, and completion rate. The Cowboys also have a strong duo of running backs in Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, one of only three tandems in the NFL to rack up at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage from each player in 2021.
On defense, the Cowboys were chaos-based in 2021, leading the NFL in takeaways. Dallas also finished in the top three of the league in third down rate allowed, pressure rate, and passer rating allowed last season, with the No. 7 mark in the league in points allowed. That combination led to the Cowboys posting a 13-4 record against the spread, the best mark in the NFL.
How to make Buccaneers vs. Cowboys picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the point total, with the model calling for 53 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in over 50% of simulations. You can only see the model’s Cowboys vs. Buccaneers picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Buccaneers vs. Cowboys on Sunday Night Football? And which side of the spread hits in over 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Buccaneers vs. Cowboys spread you need to jump on Sunday, all from the model that’s 138-97 on NFL picks, and find out.
