Cowboys vs Buccaneers Wild Card Week: This Matchup Will Test Both Teams in Terms of Their Sheer Will to Win in the Postseason

• The 5th-seeded Dallas Cowboys are coming off a crushing Week 18 divisional loss
• The 4th seeded Tampa Bay Bucs have an injured offensive line protecting the GOAT
• Watch Cowboys vs Bucs live on Monday, January 16, 2023, at 8:15 PM ET on ESPN

Cowboys vs Buccaneers Wild Card Week Odds

Cowboys vs Buccaneers Wild Card Week Picks

• POINT SPREAD: Tampa Bay Buccaneers +2.5 (+100) at DraftKings
• POINTS TOTAL: Under 45.5 (-110) at BetMGM
• SPECIAL: First TD Scorer Mike Evans (+675) at Caesars

POINT SPREAD: Tampa Bay Buccaneers +2.5 (+100) at DraftKings

The final NFL matchup on Wild Card Weekend is a Monday Night Football NFC showdown between the conference’s fifth seeded Dallas Cowboys and the fourth seeded Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a rematch from Week 1 when the Bucs beat the Cowboys 19-3 on Sunday Night Football and Tampa Bay’s defense sacked Cowboys QB Dak Prescott twice and picked him off once.  

The sportsbooks are saying that the Cowboys have failed to cover the spread in nine of their last 10 games in January so we like Bucs GOAT QB Tom Brady to make that cover happen at home in Raymond James Stadium where a pirate ship cannon booms mightily after every positive play, a tough place for visitors to thrive, especially when playing as inconsistently as the Cowboys have been.

Here is another pro-Tampa Bay fact that the oddsmakers have revealed - the underdogs have won four of the Buccaneers' last five postseason games, a feat even tougher to achieve now given their injuries, with multiple starters listed as questionable to play including WRs Mike Evans (illness), Julio Jones (knee), NT Vita Vea (calf), and SS Mike Edwards (hamstring).

POINTS TOTAL: Under 45.5 (-110) at BetMGM

The Buccaneers are banged up and the Cowboys are playing inconsistently so this matchup will test both teams in terms of their sheer will to win in the postseason and since the loser goes home expect both offenses to come out firing, the Cowboys averaging 27.5 points per game and the Bucs averaging 18.4, that total of 45.9 just over what this bet from BetMGM allows.

However, we like the under here given that six of the last seven games between the Cowboys and Buccaneers have gone under the total points line, according to the sportsbooks, plus these defenses have been stingy with Dallas only allowing opponents to score 20.1 points per game and the Buccaneers allowing 21.1 points per game, that 41.2 total well under this Wild Card wager.

Over the last seven games, Cowboys QB Dak Prescott has thrown 11 interceptions, 15 total during the course of the regular season which leads the league, and while the Bucs’ defense is ranked 9th against the pass, their substantial injuries might make them more than vulnerable, right now with three starting members of the secondary listed as questionable to play.

SPECIAL: First TD Scorer Mike Evans (+675) at Caesars

 Here is an exciting way to bump up your first-quarter thrills, this Wild Card Weekend special from Caesars sportsbook that has the bettor guessing which playmaker will score the first touchdown of the game, with odds given for members of both teams, our choice being Tampa WR Mike Evans (+675), the 6’ 5”, 231-pound reliable pass catcher who is due for some offensive production.

The favorite to win this bit is Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott who has posted 12 rushing TDs this season off 231 carries for 876 yards in addition to catching 17 passes for 92 more yards, the Cowboy’s go to guy when a first down is needed.

Another RB could win this bet and score the game’s first TD – that’s Bucs’ dual threat veteran Leonard Fournette who has posted 262 total touches this season for 1,191 total yards and 6 TDs, a 6’ 0”, 228 pound back who is averaging 3.5 yards per carry this season.

Also on the list is Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb who is always a threat to score, the 6’ 2” 189-pound speedster who has posted 107 catches off 156 targets for 1,359 yards and 9 TDs, a consistent route runner and impressive ball catcher who has played in Dallas for all three years of his pro career.

How to Watch Cowboys vs Buccaneers

• What: Dallas Cowboys vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Where: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL
• When: Monday, January 16, 2023, at 8:15 PM ET
• How: ESPN, ABC, ESPN+