The Dallas Cowboys are set to travel to Raymond James Stadium to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a wildcard matchup. The Cowboys finished the regular season with a record of 12-5 and come into the playoffs as the 5th seed in the NFC. On the flip side, despite struggling their way through the regular season to a record of 8-9, the Buccaneers did what they needed to do to enter the postseason as the 4th seed in the NFC. These teams faced off in week one where the Buccaneers were able to pull out a 19-3 win. As the year has played out, the Cowboys have established themselves as one of the top teams in the conference while the Buccaneers have struggled to keep their heads above water in one of the worst divisions in football. However, history has proven that it is never a good idea to count out Tom Brady, and Tampa Bay could pull a rabbit out of their hat and defend their home field.
Dallas Cowboys Look to Pull Off First-Round Upset and Send Tom Brady Home Early
The Dallas Cowboys are coming off of a rough 26-6 loss against the Washington Commanders. While the Commanders are a very talented team and were playing to potentially slip into a playoff spot, this was a game that the Cowboys had no business losing. Their offense had a very concerning performance, especially heading into the playoffs. Quarterback Dak Prescott finished the game completing 14 of his 37 passes for 127 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Along with this, Dallas also could not get anything going on the ground. The duo of Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott combined for 39 rushing yards and zero touchdowns on 15 carries. This was far from how the Cowboys wanted to look heading into the postseason, however, they did have very little stake in the game against the Commanders.
With there being a lot more on the line for Dallas this week, expect them to be locked in and ready to play. Despite being the lower seed in this matchup, the game is the Cowboys’ to lose. There have been points in the season in which Dallas has looked like one of the top teams in the NFC, however, they have proven to be very inconsistent. If Prescott is able to limit his turnovers and have a solid day through the air, this should be an easy win for Dallas.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Hope to Take Full Advantage of Home Field and Move Onto Divisional Round
Last week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were defeated by the Atlanta Falcons by a final score of 30-17. The Buccaneers did not look like a playoff-caliber team in this matchup. They have been a team waiting for things to click all season, however, it appears that unless something major changes this week Tampa Bay will finish the season never reaching their full potential. Tom Brady has pulled off much crazier things in his illustrious playoff career. As a result of this, do not be surprised if the Buccaneers put up a great fight.
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