The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys battle on Sunday evening at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in a key game for Tampa Bay as they look to hold onto their slim lead in the NFC South over Atlanta.
The Bucs and Cowboys are two teams that know each other relatively well, having played three times over the previous three seasons, including once in the playoffs. However, this is a far different Dallas team that sits at 6-8 without their quarterback, Dak Prescott.
To get some intel on the Bucs’ next opponent, I reached out to A to Z Sports Cowboys beat writer Mauricio Rodriguez for some info on Dallas, and he was kind enough to oblige.
1) The Dallas Cowboys have been one of the biggest enigmas this season when it comes to home vs. road performances. Why have the Cowboys been so horrendous at home and strong on the road?
I’d mostly attribute it to quality of opponent. The Cowboys simply have not been a good team this season and it just so happens that they got the Justin Fields-led Steelers (who were extremely banged up), Panthers, Giants, and Browns on the road. That’s four of their five road wins. They did catch the Commanders sleeping but they still lost to better teams in the Falcons and Niners on the road. It’s not a coincidence that their only home win is against the Giants. In other words, I just think they’ve had a tougher time at home because that’s when they’ve played their better opponents.
2) The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been outstanding offensively this season. They’re tops in the NFL with eight 400+ yard games. What part of the Cowboys defense could give Tampa Bay problems, aside from the obviously elite Micah Parsons?
That’s a good question. Rising linebacker DeMarvion Overshown would’ve been my answer before he suffered a season-ending injury and with Trevon Diggs out for the year, I can’t bring myself to say anything about the defensive backfield even though I like DaRon Bland and nickel cornerback Jourdan Lewis. So, I’ll say this: DT Osa Odighizuwa is playing like one of the best in the NFL as he leads the league’s DTs in pressures in the last six weeks. The three-technique could give the Bucs some trouble, especially when they drop back and pass. The interior OL must be ready for No. 97. But the Bucs offense should be successful against this defense if they can handle Micah.
3) The Bucs’ defense is fast, physical, and aggressive, but they’ve been vulnerable to the deep ball at times this season, particularly in the middle of the field. That could still be a worry on Sunday with All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield, Jr. out. Does Dallas have the ability to hit those plays, and aside from CeeDee Lamb, is there anyone among Dallas’ skill position players Bucs fans should be worried about and why?
Rush is 34th in deep pass percentage and 23rd in intermediate percentage, so I lean toward saying no, especially if the Bucs plan on blitzing Dallas all day long. Thus far, the Cowboys have bet on getting rid of the ball quickly to make things easier for Rush while leaning in the run game a whole lot. As for a weapon not named CeeDee Lamb, no one has stepped up to be worthy of worry, but you’ve got to watch out for KaVontae Turpin. He’ll have a limited snap count, but the Cowboys are finding ways to get him the ball for him to use his speed, which is one of the fastest in the NFL.
