The Dallas Cowboys will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football, a game that could have major implications for multiple league teams’ playoff prospects.
Both teams will enter this game on a hot streak. The Cowboys have won three of their last four games, and the Buccanneers have won four straight.
Dallas has been led this season by wide receiver Ceedee Lamb, who has collected 94 receptions for 1,089 receiving yards leading into this game while also producing six touchdown catches.
One of the biggest pieces to the Cowboys’ recent success has been running back Rico Dowdle, who has rushed for an average of five yards per carry for 880 total rushing yards and one touchdown.
Dowdle has turned a corner in the rushing attack over the last few weeks, running for over 100 yards in the team’s last three games.
Although the Cowboys have not been officially eliminated from playoff contention, they are just 6-8 this season and will likely need a plethora of specific outcomes to make the postseason.
On the other hand, the Buccanneers are currently first in the NFC South division and are looking to secure an automatic playoff berth by winning the division.
However, Atlanta sits just one game behind Tampa Bay for the division lead and holds the tiebreaker due to two earlier head-to-head wins this season, making every game for the remainder of the year a necessary win for the Buccanneers.
The biggest factors leading into this game will be each team’s rushing attack and whether the opposing defenses will get the necessary stops. The more efficient rushing team will likely pull away with a close victory.
Tampa Bay ranks fifth in the league in rushing yards per game at an average of 144.4, making it difficult for a Cowboys defense that has allowed an average of 136.1 rushing yards per game this season.
On the other hand, the Cowboys have struggled to run the ball for most of the season, but nearly every win this year has come in a game where the team controls the clock and wins on the ground.
Dallas has already ruled out cornerback Trevon Diggs for the matchup tonight, but other impactful players are currently listed as questionable on the team’s injury report.
Eric Kendricks, TJ Bass, and Jourdan Lewis are all listed as questionable and could miss the matchup with various injuries.