2001 · Week 1

Final

Buccaneers

Tampa Bay

QB Brad Johnson

10·6

Cowboys

Dallas

QB Quincy Carter

Texas Stadium · outdoors · astroturf · 69°F · wind 10mph

Closing spread

TB -9

Total

34

Model margin

+0.9est.

DAL perspective

Push chance

1.0%est.

Win probability

  • Cowboys
  • Buccaneers

How each play moved the game.

Cowboys winsBuccaneers wins

Matchup

Where the edges are

Season-long league percentiles for both sides, mirrored. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge.

Buccaneersedge mapCowboys
  • -0.025EPA / play-0.125
  • 39.6%Success rate36.1%
  • +0.010EPA / dropback-0.132
  • -0.085EPA / rush-0.117
  • 6.6%Explosive rate10.1%
  • 35.3%Third-down rate32.7%
  • 42.8%Red-zone TD rate32.6%
  • 1.43Points / drive0.93
  • 1.8%Turnover rate3.1%
  • -0.085EPA / play allowed-0.034

Bar length is league percentile, already oriented so longer is better. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge; rows within ~12 points are washed as even.

The rivalry

DAL lead 9–6 since 1999

DAL have won 2 straight. Meetings average 36.6 points. DAL are 8-6-1 ATS in the series.

Previous meetings
SeasonMatchupScoreWinner
2024 · W16TB @ DAL2426DAL
2022 · playoffsDAL @ TB3114DAL
2022 · W1TB @ DAL193TB
2021 · W1DAL @ TB2931TB
2018 · W16TB @ DAL2027DAL
2016 · W15TB @ DAL2026DAL
2015 · W10DAL @ TB610TB
2012 · W3TB @ DAL1016DAL

Box score

Individual performances

Buccaneers

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Brad Johnson25/3419501

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Warrick Dunn22562.50
Brad Johnson420.51
Aaron Stecker210.50

Receiving

PlayerRecTgtYdsTD
Jacquez Green89750
Keyshawn Johnson79710
Warrick Dunn47210
Karl Williams1190
Jameel Cook1140

Cowboys

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Quincy Carter9/193402

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Emmitt Smith13403.10
Quincy Carter4164.00
Troy Hambrick11010.00
Raghib Ismail231.50
Michael Wiley122.00

Receiving

PlayerRecTgtYdsTD
Joey Galloway610180
Michael Wiley35160
Jackie Harris0100
Raghib Ismail0300

Where this game is likely to land

  • Model
  • Smooth (normal)
  • Betting line

Probability of each final margin. Football scoring clusters — the spikes at 3 and 7 are real, and a smooth model misses them.

line -94.3%2.8%7.2%7.4%3.0%

Positive margins favour Cowboys; negative favour Buccaneers.

Half-point at risk

1.05%

outcomes that flip if the line moves 0.5

Model home win

51.4%

Expected total

43.2est.

Model

Where the number comes from

Each component is additive, in points of expected margin.

  • Team ratings (opponent-adjusted EPA)-1.68
  • Home-field advantage+2.56
  • Quarterback adjustment0.00
  • Rest differential0.00
  • Expected margin+0.88