Home › NFL › Week 5 › TB @ DAL
NFL · Week 5 · 2026 Final

Buccaneers at Cowboys

Fri, 9 Oct 2026 · 00:15 UTC
Tampa Bay Buccaneers logo
Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
0-4 · L4
24
@
Dallas Cowboys logo
Dallas
Cowboys
2-2 · W2
16
Dallas Cowboys to win 64% win probability · projected 22–27 · Solid

Result & Grading

Published before kickoff, graded after. No edits, no quiet deletions.

Final score
24–16
TB at DAL
Our pick
DAL ✗
Missed
Margin error
12.6
points from our projection
Against the spread
Covered ✓
vs line of DAL −9.5

Pre-Game Win Probabilities

From the engine's power ratings, adjusted for home field and rest, then mapped through the margin distribution. Not a blend of the market — this is our own number.

TB 36%
DAL 64%
Projected score
22–27
TB at DAL
Projected margin
+4.6
home perspective
Projected total
49.5
combined points
Confidence
Solid
published before kickoff

Engine vs The Line

We agree with the market on the winner. The margins may still differ.

8th Day Engine
Dallas Cowboys
by 4.6 points · total 49.5
Closing line
Dallas Cowboys
by 9.5 points · total 47.5

Matchup Facts

Venue and rest come from the schedule feed and feed directly into the model; surface and weather are context we show but don't yet model.

Venue
AT&T Stadium
Roof
Closed
Surface
Matrixturf
Rest · TB
4 days
Rest · DAL
4 days
QB · TB
Jalon Daniels
QB · DAL
Dak Prescott

Recent Form

Last five completed games this season, most recent first.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

L vs GB 14–17
L vs MIN 16–23
L vs CLE 19–23
L @ CIN 27–33

Dallas Cowboys

W @ HOU 34–30
L vs BAL 31–34
W vs WAS 37–20
L @ NYG 20–28

Season Scoring

Points per game either side of the ball, 2026 season to date.

TB · scored
19.0
per game · 4 played
TB · allowed
24.0
per game
DAL · scored
30.5
per game · 4 played
DAL · allowed
28.0
per game

How The Model Sees It

Our rating has Dallas Cowboys as the stronger side by 81 rating points, which on its own is worth about 3.2 points on the scoreboard (TB 1,388, DAL 1,468).

Home field adds 1.4 points to DAL — a measured figure from our backtest, not the traditional three, because home advantage in the modern NFL is considerably smaller than it used to be.

That lands on a projected margin of +4.6, and running that through the historical spread of actual results against projections gives Dallas Cowboys at 64%.

The closing line agrees on the winner, making Dallas Cowboys favourite by 9.5 against our 4.6.

More From Week 5

Next Up Elsewhere

Other games already through the engine.

Recently Graded

Called before kickoff, scored after — hits and misses both.

Explore CleverScores

Every sport runs on the same engine, and every pick is published before the event and graded after.