For the second straight season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys will square off during primetime in Week 1. Tampa Bay kicked a last-second field goal to beat Dallas in the season opener last year, and the Cowboys haven’t forgot the sting of that loss. Dallas would love to make Tampa Bay start the season 0-1 this time, but the Cowboys are a short underdog at home on Sunday Night Football.
On Sunday, September 11, 2022, the Dallas Cowboys will play host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET with NBC broadcasting the game.
NFL Week 1 Betting Odds
Tampa Bay Buccaneers -2.5
Dallas Cowboys +2.5
Total 51
Odds Analysis
There hasn’t been a ton of movement on the line for this game over the last few months. Dallas opened as a two-point underdog, and the Cowboys are now a slightly larger underdog per the current NFL betting odds. The total has seen a bigger swing though, as that number has dropped from 52 to 50.5.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brady is 45 years old entering this campaign, but he is coming off one of the most impressive seasons we’ve ever seen from a quarterback of any age. The GOAT led the league with 5,316 passing yards in 2021, and his 43 passing touchdowns were also tops. He has now thrown for a whopping 84,520 passing yards in his career, and no other active quarterback even has 60,000 yards.
Brady is expected to have another strong year in 2022 even though the Buccaneers use screen passes more than any other team in the league. Tampa Bay has two elite receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and Julio Jones is a great third option to have even though he is 33. Cameron Brate and Kyle Rudolph are reliable red zone targets, and the offensive line is very good even with the surprise retirement of Ali Marpet.
This defense will be strong once again. Ndamukong Suh and Jason Pierre-Paul are no longer on the roster, but the defensive line might be even better as Akiem Hicks will play alongside Vita Vea up front. The linebackers are some of the best in the NFL as Devin White, Lavonte David, and Shaq Barrett have all showed out recently, making the big question mark the secondary once more. This unit was ravaged by injuries last year, and they should be better if they can stay healthy. Tampa Bay wisely added veteran safeties Logan Ryan and Keanu Neal as insurance policies.
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys suffered a big hit in August when it was announced that star left tackle Tyron Smith would miss the first three months of the season due to a knee injury. Smith is the best player on the offensive line, and the Cowboys lost La’El Collins to free agency last season. That means first-round pick Tyler Smith will immediately be asked to anchor the left tackle position. That could be a big issue for a Dallas offense that was one of the NFL’s best units in 2021. Dak Prescott had the second-best season of his career, but he is no longer much of a mobile threat after suffering a dislocated ankle in 2020.
Dallas no longer has Amari Cooper or Cedrick Wilson Jr., and the top three targets will be CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, and tight end Dalton Schultz. Lamb was the team’s best receiver in his second season, but he will now be the clear No. 1 option for the Cowboys and will be focused on in coverage. At running back, the Cowboys have two solid runners in Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, but Pollard may finally surpass Elliott as RB1 this year given his effectiveness.
This defense gets a lot of attention for being a middle-of-the-road unit. Linebacker Micah Parsons was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021 and Trevon Diggs led the league in interceptions, but the Cowboys ranked 18th in total defense last season. The defensive line had trouble against solid ground games, and the secondary will likely take a step back as Diggs probably won’t have 11 picks again.
Buccaneers at Cowboys Free Pick
Tampa Bay is the play in this game. The Buccaneers have a defensive line that can control the line of scrimmage, while TB12 can pick apart the Cowboys with underneath passes.
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