Dallas Cowboys vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Preview and Predictions
By Reid Hanson
The Dallas Cowboys face an unfamiliar foe on Sunday night when the surging Tampa Bay Buccaneers come to town. Can the Cowboys get back on track?
The 11-2 Dallas Cowboys hope to right the ship after losing just their second game of the season last week to the New York Giants. While the Cowboys defense has picked up in recent weeks, the offense has sputtered.
The Bucs bring their winning streak and their 16th ranked defense to AT&T Stadium in hopes of continuing the Cowboys’ offensive struggles. What should we expect from Sunday Night’s match-up? We take a look…
Reid Hanson
This all comes down to 3rd downs. The Dallas Cowboys have become predictable on early downs and opponents have made them pay for it as of late. The predictability has led to far too many 3rd and long situations and a plummeting 3rd down conversion rate. Last week Dak Prescott was only able to convert one third down through the air. The Cowboys cannot allow that to happen again.
First down cannot be just a running down. Short passes to Cole Beasley and Jason Witten will need to be peppered in to keep Tampa on their toes and out of the box. Play diversity is key. The Dallas Cowboys have the weapons but will they get the right play calls and proper execution?
Cowboys: 27 Tampa Bay: 17
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Dink Kearney
The Dallas Cowboys take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a must win game for both teams. The Cowboys are coming off of crushing defeat against their arch rival, the hated New York Giants. It was a disappointing loss in which the Cowboys scored a season low 7 points, and rookie quarterback Dak Prescott played his worse game of the year.
As a team, the Cowboys missed on a lot of opportunities, like the Cowboys defense dropping three interceptions. Since this will be the third straight game where the Cowboys face a top-notch defense, expect Dallas to respond back with doing what it does best: running the football.
The Cowboys will feed Ezekiel Elliott the ball 30-35 times and exploit the Bucs 21st ranked defense against the run. Dak will extend plays and be a threat to run out of the pocket to pick up first downs. Dez Bryant will play better than he did against the New York Giants, and be a major factor in this Cowboys victory.
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The Bucs have forced 25 turnovers, tied for first in the NFL. It’ll be a tough, physical game, but Dak will protect the ball, run for a touchdown, and Zeke will go over 100 yards and score a few touchdowns. The Cowboys defense will continue to play well, pressuring sacking Bucs QB Jameis Winston, who will throw a few interceptions.
The Cowboys will win this game and clinch the NFC East crown for the second time in three years. Expect to see a different Cowboys team from the last two weeks.
Cowboys 28 Bucs 21
Dan Ruppert
After a long week of discussing the quarterback situation, the Cowboys face a red hot Buccaneers team. It could be a distraction or it couldn’t have any effect. This game will either silence the conversation or make it worse.
Dak Prescott hasn’t played well for the past three games. Granted some of that was playing really good defenses, but his throws haven’t been very accurate either. It does look like the Cowboys will focus on the run which could help.
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I think this will be a really close game and the Cowboys will find a way to squeak out a win. Elliot and crew will have a strong game and will be the deciding factor.
Cowboys 30 – Buccaneers 24