NFC East Game Previews – Dallas Cowboys vs Tampa Bay Bucs
The Dallas Cowboys will try and keep pace in the NFC East Division title race with a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in front of a prime-time audience on Saturday night.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec.17 8:20 p.m. (ET)
Venue: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
Broadcast: NFL Network
Cowboys @ Buccaneers lines by BetOnline.com
Point spread: Cowboys -7
Over/Under: 46.5
Game time is set for 8:20 p.m. and it will be broadcast nationally on the NFL Network.
Just when it looked like Dallas was on its way to a division title, two missed field goals have its season on the brink of collapse. A 19-13 overtime loss to Arizona as a four-point road favorite in Week 13 and a 37-34 loss to the Giants as a 3.5-point home favorite this past Sunday night dropped the Cowboys to 7-6 straight-up (4-8-1 against the spread) and into a tie with New York at the top of the East.
The total has gone 6-7 in their 13 games.
You cannot blame Tony Romo for Dallas’s current situation. Over the past two games he has thrown for over 600 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions.
One area that is in trouble is the Cowboys’ running game after rookie sensation DeMarco Murray was lost for the season with a broken ankle.
Tampa Bay’s woes started with its trip to London to play Chicago. Since the 24-18 loss to the Bears as a 1.5-point underdog, this team has lost seven-straight games to fall to 4-9 both SU and ATS.
The total has gone ‘over’ in eight of its 13 games. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The problems with the Buccaneers have been across the board this season with an offense that is averaging just 17.8 points a game to go along with a defense that is giving-up an average of 28.5 points.
The Cowboys are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games overall and 2-3-1 ATS in their last six games on the road.
The total has stayed ‘under’ in three of their last four road games.
The Buccaneers are also 1-6 ATS in their last seven games and 2-5 ATS in seven home games this season.
The total has gone ‘over’ in three of their last four games at home.
These teams met in Tampa in 2009 and Dallas ran away with a 34-21 victory as a five-point favorite. Look for a similar margin of victory this time around as the Cowboys get their act together to avoid anymore late-game drama.
The Pick: Dallas 27 Tampa Bay 10
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