Predicting the Final Score of Cowboys vs. Buccaneers in NFL Week 10

Looking to snap a six-game losing streak, the Dallas Cowboys will take to the road during Week 10 to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After losing in overtime to the Philadelphia Eagles last week, the Cowboys’ playoff chances look bleak, despite the likeliness that Tony Romo returns in Week 11. If the Cowboys are going to keep those bleak playoff hopes alive, they must defeat the Buccaneers.

It just seems like the Cowboys can’t quite put a full game together. After struggling offensively for the better part of three weeks, Matt Cassel finally gave the Cowboys a spark, as the offense put up 411 yards and 27 points against the Eagles’ defense. Unfortunately, the defense allowed 459 yards and 33 points to an Eagles offense that has largely struggled all season long. The Cowboys desperately need all three sides of the ball to have a solid game on Sunday, or the playoffs will disappear.

It seems the Buccaneers take one step forward, and then two steps back. Two weeks ago, Lovie Smith‘s team went on the road, and picked up a huge divisional victory over the Atlanta Falcons. With a home game against the New York Giants during Week 9, the Buccaneers had a chance to get on a serious roll heading down the stretch, and put themselves right in the thick of playoff contention. Instead, the team laid an egg, losing 32-18, which dropped their record to 3-5.

Jameis Winston has really grown during the first eight games of his career, but the Buccaneers are just decimated with injuries to the receiving corps. It’s caused Winston to try to force the ball to Mike Evans on numerous occasions, and the former first-round pick really struggled with drops against the Giants last week. The offense should’ve scored more than 18 points after putting up 383 yards of total offense.

With the Cowboys still believing they can make the playoffs, expect Jason Garrett‘s team to come out and play with a chip on their shoulder. This is a must-win game if the return of Romo is going have any meaning. With that being the case, I’ll take the Cowboys in a close one.

Prediction: Dallas 26, Tampa Bay 23

Jason Fletcher is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonFletcher25, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.