PewterReport.com Publisher and Bucs Beat Writer Scott Reynolds
The Buccaneers have just one road win this season and that came in Week 1 in a 48-40 upset at New Orleans. As Tampa Bay enters its final road game of a disappointing 2018 season, can the Bucs win at Dallas?

No, not against the Cowboys, who have everything to play for as the current NFC East division leaders. Dallas (8-6) stumbled last week in a 23-0 loss to Indianapolis, and that coupled with wins by division rivals Philadelphia (7-7) and Washington (7-7), should give the Cowboys all the incentive they need to beat a Bucs (5-9) team that has little to play for after being eliminated from playoff contention with a 20-12 loss last week at Baltimore.

Dallas’ balanced offense should give Tampa Bay’s banged up defense some trouble as the Bucs have struggled to stop the run on the road and gave up over 200 yards rushing last week at Baltimore. Ezekiel Elliott is having a Pro Bowl season with 1,349 yards and six touchdowns, while averaging 4.7 yards per carry. He’s also shown tremendous improvement as a receiver out of the backfield with a career-high 72 receptions for 543 yards and three touchdowns.

Wide receiver Amari Cooper, who was acquired from Oakland in a midseason trade, gives Cowboys quarterback Amari Cooper a big-time weapon to throw to. Cooper has deep speed and is capable of having some big games, evidenced by his eight-catch, 180-yard, two-touchdown effort in a win over Washington on Thanksgiving day, and his 10-catch, 217-yard, three-TD day in a 29-23 overtime win against Philadelphia. He’ll be a handful against the Bucs’ shaky secondary.

Rain and cold weather like the Bucs had last week at Baltimore won’t be the story on Sunday in Dallas’ domed AT&T Stadium, which should aid quarterback Jameis Winston and Tampa Bay’s pass-first offense. The Bucs will have DeSean Jackson active on Sunday as he returns from a thumb injury. At the very least, Jackson’s deep speed should help keep safeties deep and open up the intermediate passing game for receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and tight end Cameron Brate – even if he’s just a decoy.

Led by defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and linebackers Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylen Smith, Dallas’ front seven has really shown some improvement down the stretch and will present a challenge for Tampa Bay’s offensive line as it seeks to establish a balanced offense with Peyton Barber running the ball. I see the Bucs offense continuing to struggle on the road in a hostile environment against a good team, and the defense not being able to slow down Cooper and Elliott as Tampa Bay falls to 5-10.

Reynolds’ Score Prediction: Cowboys 27, Buccaneers 19
Reynolds’ Pick-To-Click: WR Mike Evans

PewterReport.com Editor Mark Cook
“And now, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain…” – My Way, by Paul Anka, sung famously by Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley

Two more. Just two more games left before we can put this miserable, sad, disappointing, frustrating season out of its misery. What a waste. A waste of some talent in their prime. A waste of a historically great offense. A waste of a lot of people’s times on Sunday afternoon. Growing up I dreaded the end of the football season. This year, thankfully, it can’t come soon enough. Just two more games.

We can get into all the strategy and what needs to take place for the Bucs to steal a win in Dallas, but the bottom line is, once again it won’t happen. This team just doesn’t understand how to win on the road. Too many times they have had every opportunity to do so and just can’t. Why should this Sunday be any different?

Sure the Bucs will do some things to make it interesting. They might even have a lead briefly. But when adversity strikes, and the other team gains momentum, this team tends to go in a shell and compounds things even more by making mistakes that bury them.

The Cowboys have plenty to play for, the Bucs? Not so much. I do expect Jameis Winston to have a bigger game than he has had of late, as facing a historic franchise like the Cowboys will get him pretty amped up. Winston grew up and Eagles fan, so I would guess he despises the Cowboys as much as any team he has faced this season. Plus if I am Winston, I am letting it all fly. So you throw two interceptions? Big deal. What have you got to lose? The Bucs will need a 300 yard plus passing day from Winston if they are going to have any shot. Having DeSean Jackson back should help.

But the loud crowd, the deficiencies on defense and suspect offensive line of the Bucs just won’t allow me to take Tampa Bay. The Cowboys pull away late and the Bucs drop their 10th game of the season.
Cook’s Score Prediction: Cowboys 28, Buccaneers 20
Cook’s Pick-To-Click: LB Lavonte David

PewterReport.com Buccaneers Beat Reporter Trevor Sikkema
Last time the Bucs faced off against the Cowboys it didn’t end so well. Dirk Koetter and his staff were green in terms of primetime, meaningful game experience and due to some second half adjustment, the Cowboys emerged victorious in the end.

Two years later and could we be in for the same result for the same reasons?

As the week has gone on I’ve leaned more towards the inclination that Koetter will be gone as Buccaneers head coach no matter the result of these last two games, but certainly if he wants any hope of staying in Tampa Bay — maybe he doesn’t even want to — he would have to win in Dallas to make it happen.

The Buccaneers recipe for victory looks a lot like it did last week, only there won’t be rain to get in the way. The Bucs have to get the ball and strike early. Though Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott is a better passer than Lamar Jackson is right now, he still struggles to consistently move the ball through the air, and the Bucs scoring early, putting the pressure on the Cowboys passing game and getting their running back Ezekiel Elliott out of the game plan as soon as they can would be their ticket to win.

DeSean Jackson may be back for the Buccaneers, but they’re going to need Chris Godwin to wake up even more. In the last two games, Godwin has one catch on thirteen targets. That simply will not cut it. Godwin said he’s fighting himself early this week, meaning it is a mentality thing for him. He has to get over that hurdle. They will need him if they plan to score early and score the most.

Do I think it will ultimately be enough?

No, I do not.

Sikkema’s Score Prediction: Cowboys 27, Buccaneers 21
Sikkema’s Pick-To-Click: WR Chris Godwin

PewterReport.com Intern Matt Matera
Jameis Winston said this week that there’s more than just pride left to play for, this team is playing for each other. The Bucs come into this game as the clear underdogs, and it’s probably just the players in that locker room who will believe that the Bucs have a winning chance on Sunday, because many outside don’t see that happening.

Their offense has been on a downslope ever since the second half of the Saints game two weeks ago. In that time they’ve put up 15 points over the last six quarters, and have lacked explosive plays that got them going earlier in the season. They do get a returning DeSean Jackson this weekend to help expand the field. Even if Jackson doesn’t get a ton of catches, he is someone that every defense has to worry about going down field. Mike Evans will surely be happy about Jackson being back, as things will open up for him. Evans is also 93 yards away from breaking the Bucs single season receiving yard record, so that’s something to keep an eye on.

That challenge gets no easier facing the Cowboy’s defense and their aggressive attack to the offensive line. Their defense is just as tough as the Saints and Ravens, so it will be another busy afternoon for Donovan Smith, Caleb Benenoch, Ryan Jensen, and the rest of the Bucs line. One part of the offense that was working well last week was a running with Peyton Barber, the Bucs may need to fight fire with fire, playing their run game against the Dallas run game.

Dallas will be hungrier than ever after coming of a 23-0 loss to the Colts. They still have everything to play for, as they haven’t clinched the NFC East division yet. Much like Baltimore, the Cowboys have a strong running game and a mobile running back. We’re aware of what Ezekiel Elliott is capable of doing, and what Dak Prescott can and can’t do. What Dallas has that Baltimore doesn’t is a wide receiver like Amari Cooper that can change things around for a team.

While still a formidable, the Cowboys offensive line has not had as spectacular of a season as they have played up to in the past. It could be another game where Vita Vea is all over the stat sheet, coming off his nine tackle game.

There is a situation that I can see happening where the Cowboys get the ball at kickoff, run right through the Bucs to make it 7-0, then the Bucs offense continues sputter by going three and out, and the next thing you know, it’s 14-0. It seems that if the Bucs make a mistake or two, that they might get down on themselves and let it pile on them. For that, I’m picking the Cowboys.
Matera’s Score Prediction: Cowboys 27, Bucs 16
Matera’s Pick-To-Click: WR Mike Evans