Share 
Best Bet: DAL -8.5 (-115) at DraftKings
Score Prediction: Cowboys 28, Buccaneers 19
Up to $1,500 in Bonus Bets if Your First Bet Doesn't Win*
*Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l terms. 21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET
Up to $1,500 in Bonus Bets if Your First Bet Doesn't Win*
*Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l terms. 21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET
The Pick: Cowboys 28, Buccaneers 19
We’ll take the Cowboys’ ATS due to Tampa Bay’s current ATS woes.
Game Betting Analysis
The elephant in the room is the Buccaneers ATS market, as they are on a current 0-13 ATS skid. Gravity says what goes up must come down, so the ATS cover is due for Tampa Bay, but at 0-13 over the last 13 games we immediately cower to the Cowboys’ ATS in this one. Dallas has covered three of four meetings against Tampa Bay, while winning four of the last six outright. For total bettors, Dallas has hit the Over in five of six games but the Under has hit in a remarkable seven of nine meetings with Tampa Bay – so we’ll stick with the 0-13 trends working against Buccaneers bettors.
Buccaneers-Cowboys Odds (Spread, Moneyline, Over/Under)
Deciding Factor: Dak Prescott’s Red-Hot Connection with CeeDee Lamb vs. Tampa Bay’s Patchwork Quarterback Room
Dallas heads into Thursday night off a gutsy road comeback, rallying to beat Houston 34-30 in Week 4. The signature moment belonged to Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, who connected 17 times on 21 targets for 189 yards and the go-ahead score — Lamb’s fourth straight game with at least five catches, pushing him to 37 receptions on 46 targets through four weeks. As 10-point home favorites, that connection is exactly what Tampa Bay has the least firepower to slow down. The Bucs’ pass defense ranked 26th in net yards per attempt allowed, and the one player built to bail that out — Antoine Winfield Jr., a “Swiss army knife” who slides into the slot, plays free safety, and doubles up top receivers — is out two to four weeks with a rib fracture. Lamb works heavily from the slot, which is precisely where Winfield would normally be camped to help.
The Buccaneers, meanwhile, are turning back to Jalon Daniels, an undrafted rookie making just his second career start with Baker Mayfield (thumb) sidelined three to six weeks. Daniels flashed real legs last week, running for 55 yards on eight carries against Green Bay — a franchise rookie-QB record — but he also threw two interceptions, and now he’s without his best coverage chess piece on the other side of the ball too. If Bucky Irving and Emeka Egbuka can keep it close and Dallas’s leaky defense (20-plus points allowed in every game) catches up with it, Tampa Bay has a real path to stealing one on the road. But a beat-up secondary leaning on a shaky starting corner, with no Winfield to paper over the matchup problems, is a bad combination against a receiver who’s been un-coverable for a month.
Game Information
- Date: Thursday, October 8, 2026
- Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. (ET)
- Network: APVO
- Location: Arlington, Texas
- Venue: AT&T Stadium – 57 ppg; 1-0 O/U
Thursday Night Football Betting Information
Key Players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- QB, Jalon Daniels — Last Game: 19/27, 148 yards, TD, 2 INT
- RB, Bucky Irving — Last Game: 16 carries, 61 yards
Dallas Cowboys
- QB, Dake Prescott — Last Game: 32/45, 335 yards, TD
- WR, CeeDee Lamb — Last Game: 17 catches, 189 yards, TD
Photo Credit: REUTERS
