Love them or hate them, the Dallas Cowboys are a draw.
The most polarizing team in the NFL plays host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football, opening an exciting NFL Week 5 slate.
I get the blood pumping on prime time with my best Buccaneers vs. Cowboys combos and NFL picks for Oct. 7.
Best Buccaneers vs Cowboys combos
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Buccaneers vs Cowboys combo
The Dallas Cowboys’ defense isn’t stopping anyone, not even a backup QB.
This secondary is Charmin soft, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers want to get top targets Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin going. With the Cowboys able to clap back on offense, this could be a shootout in Jerry’s World.
CeeDee Lamb chewed apart the Houston defense last week and takes on a Tampa secondary down two starters. The Bucs bring blitz at an insane rate, and Dak Prescott has no problems countering that pressure, often with the services of Lamb. He has four touchdowns to start 2026.
With a backup QB, Todd Bowles wants to keep this offense in manageable down and distance. Last week, the Bucs ran on 51% of snaps, and Bucky Irving had 16 carries for 61 yards. Dallas’ run stop is as bad as its pass defense, and my projections sit as high as 67 yards from Irving.
Buccaneers vs Cowboys touchdown combo
Lamb isn’t the only receiver finding paydirt on Thursday. Chris Godwin was a favorite target of Jalon Daniels in his first start and takes on a Cowboys defense that struggles to cover WR2s.
Godwin can hit big plays over the top, which is a sore spot for this Cowboys secondary. Dallas has allowed 21 “explosive plays” in 2026, with eight coming versus Houston last week.
Irving is sharing the rushing load with two other RBs, but he’s the red-zone preference. Dallas has allowed five total touchdowns to running backs already and ranks 27th in red-zone touchdowns allowed (73%).
Buccaneers vs Cowboys milestone combo
I expect Tampa Bay to lean into the ground game in order to control the clock and possession. Irving had 61 yards on a bum glute last week and faces a Dallas defense giving up 4.8 yards per carry to opponents.
This Cowboys passing attack is putting up historic numbers. Prescott is one of the best QBs versus blitzing defenses, and while his Week 5 projections top out at 280 yards, the Cowboys gunslinger passed for 305 yards in his last matchup against Bowles’ blitz-centric schemes.
Godwin’s slow start has slimmed his receiving markets, due in part to solid defensive opponents and Baker Mayfield’s injury. Tampa Bay’s coaches talked about getting Godwin more involved this week, and the speedy WR thrives on fast, clean indoor tracks, like AT&T Stadium.
Dallas is allowing an average of 54 yards to WR2s, and Godwin is among the best second options in the land.
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