Dallas Cowboys vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Prediction: Poor Buccaneers to battle for a win

The season kicks off on Sunday night with a matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys. The September 11 game at AT&T Stadium will begin at 3:20 am. The odds and predictions for the Buccaneers vs. Cowboys game are broken out here.

The Cowboys finished the season 12-5. The Cowboys' season concluded with a 23-17 loss to the 49ers, their final game. Dak Prescott finished the game with 254 yards passing on 23 43 attempts for a quarterback rating of 69.3. He had 5.91 yards passing per attempt and one interception. Dalton Schultz was a primary target for the Cowboys, as he hauled in 7 receptions for 89 yards. For Dallas, Ezekiel Elliott had 12 carries for 31 yards. The Cowboys completed 70 plays for 307 yards with 4.4 yards per play. On 21 carries, Dallas gained 77 yards for an average of 3.7 yards per run. Dallas allowed 169 yards on the ground on 38 carries. The Cowboys' pass defense allowed for a 64.0% completion rate, with 172 yards on 16 of 25 attempts. In terms of average yards per game, the Dallas Cowboys were first in the NFL at 407.0. They carried the ball 124.6 times per game for a season average of 2,119 yards. The Dallas offensive was ranked first in football for giving up free yards, having committed 127 penalties for 1,103 yards. They had 248 first downs despite throwing 11 interceptions and lost nine fumbles. The Cowboys had the second-highest passing offense in the NFL last season, with 4,800 yards via the air and an average of 282.4 yards per game. With an NFL-best 31.2 points per game, the Cowboys' scoring prowess puts them first.

As the season came to a close, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a record of 13-4. Last season's regular-season finale pitted the Buccaneers against the Rams, a game which the latter won by a score of 30-27. With 119 total yards from 8 receptions, Mike Evans averaged 14.9 yards per catch. 14 carries for 51 yards is an average of 3.6 yards per carrying for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the end, they ran 71 plays for 359 yards. Passing for 355 yards was successful on 28 of 38 attempts against Tampa Bay, for a completion percentage of 73.7%. The Buccaneers gave up 73 yards on 30 tries, or 2.4 yards per run allowed, in the line of scrimmage. The Buccaneers' point total was 30.1% of their opponents' totals. They were 26th in the NFL in running the offense with an average of 98.4 yards per game. The Buccaneers accumulated 6,901 yards last season. Tampa Bay recorded 273 first downs on offense, but they also committed 97 penalties for 874 yards. A total of 19 times, they allowed the opposing team to take possession with 12 picks and seven fumbles. The Buccaneers scored 43 passing touchdowns and 18 rushing scores.

Super Bowl contention looks likely for the Bucs once again with the return of Tom Brady and the addition of Julio Jones to an already potent receiving group. Both teams will be rematching their season opener from a year ago, when the Buccaneers defeated the Falcons, 31-29, at Raymond James Stadium. Therefore, we expect the Bucs to get a deserving win.

• Total Over 24.5 for 1.87
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers win for 1.80
• Over 50 for 1.90