Cowboys vs. Buccaneers Betting Preview
The reigning Super Bowl Champions will start their quest for back-to-back championships Thursday night. The Cowboys, who had an underwhelming 2020 season, will get their starting quarterback back under center and look to compete for the playoffs in 2021. Let’s know more about our Cowboys vs. Buccaneers Betting Preview.
Cowboys Get Their Guy Back
Coming back from a broken ankle, the Dallas Cowboys will get their quarterback, Dak Prescott, back on the field for 2021. A freak accident in week five of the 2021 season sidelined Prescott for the rest of the season.
Prescott has healthy legs coming into 2021 but is dealing with a sore throwing arm before week one. It is going to take a lot more than a sore arm to keep him off the field after sitting the majority of 2020.
Even with Dak, there is a good chance the offense will still run through the running back Ezekiel Elliott. In 2020 he led the team in rushing and scoring. With Prescott back, Elliott will look to be able to have more space to run with the threat of a passing attack. In 2020, with Dalton under center, teams were able to load the box and take away most of his running lanes.
Dallas will have a new defensive coordinator for 2021, Dan Quinn. The Cowboys proved their willingness to try to make their defense a focal point when they used their first six draft picks on defensive players.
They have revamped a lot coming into 2021 on defense. Only three of the starters from last season will be back. If the offense plays like it is supposed to, and the defense meshes well, the Cowboys have a solid shot at the NFC East.
Buccaneers Look to Repeat
The 2020 Super Bowl Champions are getting set for their first week of the regular season after one of the best endings to a season possible. The Buccaneers were 7-5 last season before going on an eight-game winning streak and winning the whole thing. In a Super Bowl Champions next season, you look for how many guys are coming back, and the Buccaneers are doing just that, returning all 22 starters from last season.
The Buccaneers live and die with arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady. The 44-year-old veteran has now won seven Super Bowls, six with New England and one with Tampa Bay. Brady is one of the greatest to ever do it, and that showed last year in his first season with Tampa Bay after 19 seasons in New England. A top receiving core in the league, Baldwin, Brown, and Evans, mixed with a quarterback of Brady’s caliber, usually equals success.
This Tampa Bay defense is nothing to scoff at either. The defense became the third ever to not allow a touchdown in a Super Bowl. They are relentless on the hunt for quarterbacks. Shaquil Barrett was able to record 12 sacks and 49 tackles just last season.
The Picks
The Cowboys were tough against the spread last season, going 5-11. They were really bad while on the road ATS with a record of 2-6. The Cowboys were able to cover the over nine times last season.
The Buccaneers were much better against the spread at 9-7. When playing at home last season, Tampa Bay was 5-3 against the spread. They also covered the over nine times last season.
The Buccaneers are currently 7½ point favorites (-113) and should cover that with ease. Take the over 52 points as well at -110.