The Dallas Cowboys have dominated their regular-season all-time series with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, going 13-4 while winning seven of the last eight meetings. They haven't had any success against Tom Brady, however, losing all five matchups against the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback. Brady looks to remain perfect versus America's Team when he leads the Buccaneers against the visiting Cowboys on Thursday in the 2021 NFL Kickoff Game.
Kickoff is at 8:20 p.m. ET in Tampa Bay. Caesars Sportsbook lists Tampa Bay as a nine-point home favorite, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 52 in the latest Buccaneers vs. Cowboys odds. Before making any Cowboys vs. Buccaneers picks, make sure to check out the expert NFL predictions from SportsLine NFL expert R.J. White.
White, a Fantasy and gambling editor for CBS Sports and SportsLine, ended the 2020 season on an 80-59 run on all NFL picks, returning more than $1,400 during that span. That success is no surprise, as White has cashed huge twice in the world's most prestigious football handicapping competition, the Las Vegas SuperContest. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, White has set his sights on Buccaneers vs. Cowboys in the NFL Kickoff Game 2021 and just revealed his NFL expert picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several NFL odds and betting trends for Cowboys vs. Bucs:
- Buccaneers vs. Cowboys spread: Tampa Bay -9
- Buccaneers vs. Cowboys over-under: 52 points
- Buccaneers vs. Cowboys money line: Dallas +350, Tampa Bay -450
- DAL: Cowboys finished 5-11 against the spread in 2020
- TB: Bucs were 12-8 against the spread last season
Why the Cowboys can cover
Cowboys quarterback Prescott appears to be healthy following ankle surgery and a sprained shoulder that kept him inactive during the preseason. The 28-year-old threw for 1,856 yards in five games last year before his season ended abruptly and leads the NFL in passing yards per game (321.8) over the last two campaigns.
Elliott is coming off a season in which he gained a career-worst 979 yards on the ground and ran for only six touchdowns, which matched his personal low. The two-time league rushing leader will be focused on holding on to the football, as he had six fumbles last year, the most among all NFL running backs. The Cowboys addressed a unit that allowed 158.8 rushing yards per contest last year by selecting eight defensive players in the 2021 NFL Draft, including linebacker Micah Parsons of Penn State with the 12th overall pick.
Why the Buccaneers can cover
Brady had little with which to work on offense in his final year with New England in 2019, but it was a completely different situation for him in Tampa Bay last year. The legendary quarterback threw touchdown passes to 10 different players and connected most often with Mike Evans, who finished fourth in the NFL and set a career-high with 13 scoring catches. The 28-year-old wide receiver also led the Buccaneers with 70 receptions and 1,006 yards, making him the first player in league history with at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first seven seasons.
The 44-year-old Brady also was reunited with former Patriots teammate Rob Gronkowski, who ended a one-year retirement for the chance to recreate the magic the two had in New England. Gronkowski, 32, was tied for second on the Buccaneers in the regular season with seven TD receptions and had two more in Super Bowl LV. Brady and Gronkowski have teamed up for 98 overall touchdowns, the second-most by a quarterback-receiver duo in NFL history behind Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison (114), and own the league record for most total postseason (15) and Super Bowl (five) scoring hookups.
How to make Buccaneers vs. Cowboys picks
White is leaning under on the point total, and he's also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He's only sharing that pick and the rest of his NFL expert picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Buccaneers vs. Cowboys? And what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see R.J. White's Cowboys vs. Buccaneers pick and analysis, all from the NFL expert who finished last season on an 80-59 heater on NFL picks, and find out.