Staff Score Predictions: Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9) take on Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys (12-5) at 8:15 PM EST on ESPN.
Our staff provides their predictions as the Buccaneers and Cowboys face off for a chance to move on to the next round of the NFL playoffs.
Dustin Lewis (@Dussttin)
The stage is set. Monday night. Prime time. Tampa Bay against Dallas. Tom Brady facing another team that he’s undefeated against during his Hall of Fame career. Though the Buccaneers enter the matchup with the Cowboys with a below .500 record, there’s a lot of optimism that the team will be able to rekindle something special against an opponent it already defeated to open the season.
Tom Brady and Mike Evans are heating up at the right time. Two weeks ago against Carolina, the two connected ten times for 207 yards and three touchdowns. In total, throughout the season, Brady has thrown nine interceptions. However, six of those nine turnovers came in just three games. It’ll be up to one of the most experienced players of all time to care of the ball if the Buccaneers want to pull off the upset.
On the other side, Cowboys star quarterback Dak Prescott has been plagued with turnovers in 2022-23. He’s thrown a career-high 15 interceptions and fumbled four times while throwing 23 touchdowns in the regular season. That includes at least one interception and 11 total in his last seven starts.
The Buccaneers seem to do well whenever I pick against them so we’ll roll with the reverse jinx once again on Monday night. Either way, this is a contest that will go down the wire and could be decided by a crucial turnover in the second half.
Season Prediction Record: 10-7
Cowboys 28, Buccaneers 27
Logan Robinson (@LogansTwitty)
Monday Night Football. Dak Prescott. Tom Brady. Primetime. Sign me up.
I feel like you never know at this moment what the Buccaneers are going to bring onto the field. One thing they're going to want to bring is a healthy offensive line, primarily at the center position. Tampa Bay HAS to find ways to put points on the board and that starts with Brady and Mike Evans staying in their groove like we've seen the last couple of games the two have been playing together. Take shots when need be. Byron Leftwich can't get stagnant nor can he be predictable. Dallas will take advantage of that and send in different packages defensively that the Bucs have struggled with against opposing defenses all year.
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Defensively I'm looking at Devin White and the linebacker core. They'll have to have a strong performance against Ezekiel Elliot and Tony Pollard. A duo that isn't easy to go up against. Getting their reads done correctly and understanding what the Cowboys want to do with those two will be one of the deciding factors. Prescott's passing game with his receivers has been too inconsistent for me this latter half of the season to zero down on that threat.
I'm feeling a bit up in the air about this one but I'm going to give it to the home team and it's hard to go against Brady's career record against the Dallas Cowboys. Should be a fun one in Raymond James Stadium.
Season Prediction Record: 10-7
Buccaneers 31, Cowboys 28
David Harrison (@DHarrison82)
Tampa Bay’s starting offense has started to find its footing over the past six quarters, and partially it’s due to an apparent shift in how the team is attacking defenses. If this continues against the Cowboys, it’ll be on Dak Prescott to keep his guys competitive while avoiding the dreaded killer mistake.
Season Prediction Record: 9-8
Buccaneers 27, Cowboys 21
Collin Haalboom (@SI_Buccaneers)
The Buccaneers and Cowboys will meet on Monday Night Football in what will be their second matchup this season. Although the Bucs managed to squeak out a victory when these two teams faced off way back in Week 1, a lot has changed since then.
The Bucs have had a disappointing season. The prevailing narrative for the Bucs has revolved around the defense doing their job, while the offense being, for the most part, unable to hold up their end of the bargain. That said, Tom Brady is 7-0 vs. the Cowboys in his career. His personal legacy is defined by postseason success, and if he wants to add to that legacy, he'll need to overcome an injury-riddled offensive line. This, combined with Byron Leftwich's bland playcalling, has put this offense in handcuffs more often than not this season.
The Buccaneers' defense will need to play well defending the run in this game, as the combination of Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliot may be the most dangerous tandem in the NFL. The Bucs have the horses to do that though, and if they can keep Prescott under pressure, I like how they match up with the Cowboys receivers in the secondary.
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Despite many questionable decisions as a head coach this season, I still have a lot of confidence in Todd Bowles' ability to design and implement an effective game plan on the defensive side of the ball. I think he's going to dig deep in his bag in this one and get creative in order to keep Dak guessing, and under duress. I expect that to have a significant impact on the final result of this game.
Season Prediction Record: 13-4 (got married in week 3)
Buccaneers 27, Cowboys 24
Caleb Skinner (@chsnole)
It’s wild card weekend and the Bucs get a rematch of Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys. The Bucs were able to come away with a 19-3 victory then, but both teams now have something more to fight for. The Bucs are finally healthy and after a roller coaster season we could see them finally start to flourish. With the game on Monday night in Ray Jay, the Bucs will have their home-field advantage and should come away with this one even against a stout Dallas defense.
Season Prediction Record: 10-7
Buccaneers 24, Cowboys 17
Maddox Nebel (@MaddoxNebel)
I have Tom Brady in a comfortable situation over many years of his career being able to take on an inconsistent Cowboys team. Both teams have had different paths to the playoffs, but with recent struggles for the Cowboys, and a potential resurrection of the Buccaneers' offense, it will be Tampa moving on.
Buccaneers 31, Cowboys 28
Season Prediction Record: 10-7
CONSENSUS: Buccaneers (5-1)
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