Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting Preview/Player Prop

The 2021 NFL season officially begins on Thursday, September 9, and the league has once again created a terrific matchup for the season opener. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Dallas Cowboys, and this is a perfect game to kick things off.

Dallas was a major disappointment a season ago, but they are expected to be back in contention for the NFC East Division title this season. The Cowboys have a loaded roster, but they haven't always played up to that level of talent.

Tampa Bay is the defending Super Bowl champion, putting together a terrific season in 2020. The Buccaneers are one of the betting favorites to win the Super Bowl again this season, and there will be a packed stadium on Thursday night.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 7.5-point favorites in the NFL season opener on Thursday night.

Dallas Needs Some Defense

The Dallas defense was a real problem a season ago, especially in the first half of games. The Cowboys always seemed to face some pretty big deficits heading into halftime, and that is something that they will need to correct before this season begins.

Quarterback Dak Prescott missed a large chunk of the 2020 season with a gruesome injury, and that played a big role in the miserable year for the Cowboys. Prescott has been dealing with some injuries in the preseason as well, but he will be back under center to begin the season.

Running back, Ezekiel Elliott remains one of the best in the NFL, and the Cowboys are going to need to feed him the football a ton on Thursday night.

Buccaneers Are Going to Score

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to be one of the best offenses in the NFL, and this team will be able to score in a variety of ways. Quarterback Tom Brady continues to be one of the best players in the league, and he has a ton of weapons at his disposal.

Even though Tampa Bay wants to throw the football, look for them to use the rushing attack to wear down the Cowboys' defense. This team just knows how to win football games, and the offense will do its job in the season opener.

The Tampa Bay defense continues to be overlooked, but it should be one of the best units in football. That defensive line can be disruptive, and they are going to spend plenty of time in the backfield of Dallas.

Buccaneers Beat Down the Cowboys

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took some time in 2020 to get things going, but that isn't going to be the case this season. This is nearly the same roster that won the Super Bowl, and they are going to be looking to get off to a fast start.

Dallas has some injury concerns, and taking on the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay is not a fun way to start off the season. The Cowboys will have the talent to win the NFC East Division this season, but they aren't on the same level as the Buccaneers.

This game could get out of hand in a hurry as the Buccaneers will take control of this game and cruise to a win. Bet the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -7.5 over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night as this game is not going to be close.

Player Prop

Dak Prescott (-172) Over 1.5 Passing TDs

The eyes of Texas will certainly be on Prescott as he makes his return following a season-ending ankle injury last year. He suffered a setback with a shoulder sprain during a July 28 practice. But he was a full participant at practice earlier this week and looks ready to go for the Cowboys on Thursday night.

That’s welcome news for Dallas. Prior to lthe injury, Prescott was putting up numbers worthy of MVP consideration with over 4,600 passing yards and a 27-8 TD-to-INT ratio over his last 14 games. In just five games last year, he became the first player in league history to throw for over 400 yards and run for 3 TDs. And in his last game before the injury, he threw for 502 yards and 4 TDs against the Browns.

Prescott has said he’s ready to pick up where he left off and we’ll bank on that as we take the two-time Pro Bowler (-172) to go over 1.5 passing TDs in a losing effort against the Bucs.

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