Dallas Cowboys vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Prediction 12-22-24 NFL Picks

In this article, we will formulate a Dallas Cowboys vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Prediction for this NFL Week 16 game on Sunday, December 22nd, at AT&T Stadium. 

Buccaneers Could be a Problem

With the way the Buccaneers have been playing as of late, they are not a team that anyone wants to face in the playoffs. The Buccaneers have won four games in a row and in the last game against the LA Chargers, they dominated. The Bucs scored 40 points and that was enough for the 23-point victory. Baker Mayfield completed 22 of his 27 passes for 288 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception.

Bucky Irving had another huge game finishing with 15 carries for 117 yards. Wide receiver Mike Evans finished with nine carries for 159 yards and two touchdowns. The Buccaneers are averaging 28.8 points while their defense is giving up 23.3 points per game. The offense is ranked 4th in the league while the defense is ranked 19th. In this game, the Bucs are going to need the offense to be strong again. 

Why the Buccaneers Will Beat the Cowboys

• The Cowboys have lost each of their last nine games as moderate underdogs (+3.5 to +7.0 points).
• The Buccaneers have won each of their last eight December games as road favorites.
• The Cowboys have failed to cover the spread in each of their last six games at AT&T Stadium against teams that held a winning record.
• The Buccaneers have covered the spread in each of their last five games as favorites against NFC East opponents.
• The favorites have won the first half in seven of the Buccaneers’ last eight games.
• The Buccaneers have won the first quarter in each of their last four games against NFC East opponents.

Can Cowboys Finish Season Strong?

The Cowboys come into this game with a 6-8 record overall and they all of a sudden have been playing better. The Cowboys in the last game faced off against the Carolina Panthers, and they scored 30 points on the way to the 16-point victory. Cooper Rush had a strong game putting up 214 yards and three touchdowns. Rico Dowdle finished with 25 carries for 169 yards.

The defense also picked off Bryce Young twice, and creating a couple of turnovers here is going to be key. The Cowboys are averaging 21.3 points while their defense is giving up 27.1 points per game. The offense is ranked 19th in the league while the defense is ranked 30th. The defense has to be good here or this will be a long game. 

Dallas Cowboys vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Prediction

This game is going to be a shootout. The Cowboys and Buccaneers are both going to run up the score here. The Buccaneers are averaging 28.8 points per game, and they are going to impress again. The Cowboys are going to have no issue running up the score against the Buccaneers’ defense, and that will end up being a shootout. Cooper Rush is going to have a big game here, and the over is going to cash.