The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will go on the road to face the Dallas Cowboys in front of a primetime audience on Thursday Night Football.
The Bucs are in free fall at 0-4, while the Cowboys are red-hot. Factor in the Buccaneers’ infamous struggles in standalone games and the fact that Baker Mayfield will be sidelined due to injury, and it’s frankly hard to envision this game going well for Tampa Bay.
The Buccaneers are walking into a buzzsaw at Jerry World, and I tried to forecast some bold predictions that could play out on Thursday night.
3 bold predictions for Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football
Buccaneers’ offense gets back on track, scores 24 points
The Buccaneers’ offense has been dreadful, scoring just 19 points per game. The most points the unit scored in a single game this year is 20 in Week 1, not counting Josiah Trotter’s pick-six.
Well, that’s not going to cut it against a Cowboys team averaging 30 points per game on the season.
Luckily, Dallas has a weak defense that could serve as an opportunity for Tampa Bay to figure things out offensively. The Cowboys rank 30th in total defense, allowing 389.5 yards per game, and 28th in scoring defense, allowing 28 points per game.
I’m predicting the Bucs will take advantage of this matchup, scoring a season-high 24 points offensively. I know, low bar.
Jalon Daniels rushes for 70+ yards
Rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels rushed for 55 yards in his NFL debut, which is the new single-game record for a Buccaneers QB.
Daniels’ legs will continue to be a factor and a chain-mover for the offense as he hits the ground running again against the Cowboys.
Dallas has had trouble containing mobile quarterbacks, allowing opposing QBs to rush for 50-plus yards in three out of four games this season.
Daniels will break his own record and this time, eclipse 70 rushing yards as he looks to breathe life into this dormant Bucs offense and keep pace with the Cowboys.
Cowboys win by at least 2 touchdowns
Usually my bold predictions go in favor of the Buccaneers, but this one could get ugly.
Dak Prescott is playing at an MVP level, and he’s got one of the NFL’s best wide receiver duos in CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. The Cowboys also have Jake Ferguson at their disposal, who could exploit Tampa Bay’s inability to cover tight ends.
The Buccaneers will be without their best defensive back in Antoine Winfield Jr., so this could be an all-out aerial attack for the Cowboys as Prescott looks to boost his MVP candidacy in front of the national audience.
I predicted earlier that the Bucs would score a season-high 24 points, but some of those points will inevitably come in garbage time as the Cowboys absolutely dominate this game. They’ve scored at least 30 points in three consecutive games, and that streak will continue against Tampa Bay.
I’m predicting a 38-24 Cowboys win on Thursday night, knocking the Buccaneers to 0-5 on the year.
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