NBA Postseason Best Bets (5/3)
Alex Christenson
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are fresh off a Super Bowl 55 win and get the right to play the opening game of the 2021 NFL season in front of their home fans, the same ones they won the Big Game in front of. Now, they welcome another NFC contender in the Dallas Cowboys, who will have no shortage of public money attached to them as “America’s Team.” Despite the Cowboys hype, oddsmakers have the Buccaneers laying a touchdown in Week 1 vs. Dallas.
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Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 1 Odds
Date/Time: September 8, 8:20 p.m. ET
Arena: Raymond James Stadium
How to watch: NBC
Opening odds: Buccaneers -6 | O/U 52
Latest Cowboys-Buccaneers odds
Looking for the latest odds for this matchup? Here they are, with the best prices from DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Bucs -6
- Total: 52
For up to date odds, check out DraftKings Sportsbook.
Opening odds – Cowboys vs. Buccaneers
After opening as 6-point favorites for their Week 1 game vs. the Cowboys, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have seen some line movement with the spread moving to -7 as of Aug. 13 and early money coming in on the home team. The Bucs were routinely tabbed as favorites on their home field during the 2020 regular season and were favored by seven points or more in four of their eight regular season games. As for the Cowboys, this will be the second time since the start of the 2020 season where they’re road underdogs of seven points or more.
Quarterback analysis – Dak Prescott vs. Tom Brady
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is coming off a broken ankle injury from last season and is also battling a shoulder injury during training camp. In five games last season, Prescott threw for 1,852 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions. He also rushed for three touchdowns.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady continues to age like a fine wine and had one of his better seasons as a passer in 2020 despite doing so on a torn MCL. In 16 regular-season games last season, Brady threw for 4,633 yards, 40 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
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Latest Cowboys betting news & info
The Dallas Cowboys enter the 2021 season coming off an underwhelming 2020 campaign that saw them being a losing spread bet in eight consecutive games. Part of that had to do with Prescott’s leg injury, but the warning signs were there through the first five games of the season. Dallas was 1-3 entering the fifth game and only managed to get into the win column from another inexplicable collapse by the Atlanta Falcons.
The offense is already turnkey with studs at nearly every position, but the defense may continue to be the weakness. Dallas was allowing 29.6 points per game last year (ranked 28th) and were consistently gouged through the air. Facing a potent offense like the Bucs will be a great measuring stick to see if the Cowboys improved at all on that side of the ball.
Latest Buccaneers betting news & info
The only team ever to win a Super Bowl on its home field, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought the band back together again for another title run and look as formidable as ever. Including playoffs, the Bucs were 15-5 SU and 12-8 ATS while going 3-4 ATS in seven games when favored by seven points or more.
Regardless of record, Tampa’s defense was the star of the show last year, especially in the Super Bowl. The Bucs were eight in points allowed per game (22.2) while being stout on the ground and ranking first in opponent rush yards per game (80.6) and total touchdowns (10). With no key players on the injury report, the Buccaneers could come out with a bang in the opener.
Bucs vs. Cowboys betting picks – NFL Week 1
Although most of the public action is on the under 51.5, these two offenses are too powerful to be contained. I fully expect the Bucs to score at least 35 points on their home which is near the season average in 2020 while projecting the Cowboys to score in the 20- to 24-point range. The average combined score in all of Tampa Bay’s home games last year was 52.5.
Here are our betting picks for Bucs vs. Cowboys in Week 1.
FTNBets best bets
- OVER 51.5
- Bucs -7
For more information, betting picks, and analysis, check out the FTN NFL Bet Tracker.
How to bet on this game
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