The Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers clash in a week 1 Sunday Night Football NFL action from AT&T Stadium. Tampa Bay is coming off a 13-4 overall season last year, finishing in first place in the NFC South. As for Dallas, they went 12-5 overall in 2021. The Cowboys finished first in the NFC East with that mark as well. Check back all season long for free NFL picks at Sports Chat Place.
Tampa Bay had another strong campaign in 2021, going 13-4 overall—a franchise record for victories in a single season. The Buccaneers captured the NFC South Division for the first time since 2007, then won the Wild Card Playoffs versus the Eagles. Tampa’s season ended with a 30-27 loss to the Rams in the Divisional Playoffs, however.
This preseason, the Buccaneers posted an 0-3 record and had trouble finding the end zone. Tampa Bay lost to the Dolphins 26-24 in week one, then 13-3 to the Titans in the second game. The final exhibition outing was a 27-10 loss to the Colts on August 27.
Over on the Cowboys’ side, they made quite the turnaround from their ugly 6-10 record in 2020. Dallas rolled to a 12-5 overall mark (their first winning season since 2018) and a division title. The Cowboys’ postseason dreams evaporated quickly with a 23-17 loss to the 49ers in the Wild Card Playoffs.
Dallas started off the 2022 preseason with a fairly tepid 17-7 loss to the Broncos, but the team finished strong. Game two was a 32-18 win over the Chargers, then the Cowboys bagged a 27-26 win over the Seahawks in the final exhibition outing.
The Buccaneers are 5-2 ATS in the last seven versus the NFC and 7-3 ATS in the last 10 overall. Tampa Bay is 2-6 ATS in the last eight in Week 1.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys are 5-1 ATS in the last six as an underdog and 16-6 ATS in the last 22 overall. Dallas is 13-3 ATS in the last 16 versus the NFC.
PICK: I’m going to take a stab on the Cowboys in this one. You could easily make a case either way here, though. It should be a great Sunday evening matchup, and a possible playoff preview if all goes as expected for these squads this season. In any case, Dallas lost quite a bit of talent in the offseason (and to injuries), so this will be a good barometer on where they stand—even if it is just the first outing. On paper, the Cowboys have a pretty tough schedule though their first six games—four against playoff teams from last season. If Dallas can get through that gauntlet at .500 or better, they’ll be in great shape. I think it’ll start with a close cover/victory here.