The Dallas Cowboys are coming off their worst loss of the season to the Washington Commanders.
After getting embarrassed in that game, Dallas has to put it behind them and move on to the playoffs.
Finishing with a record of 12-5, the Cowboys earned the fifth seed in the NFC.
That means they will square off with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round.
Brady and the Cowboys have played each other in Week 1 each of the past two seasons.
Both of which resulted in Buccaneers’ wins.
Cowboys at Bucs is a game with so many story lines. Wow
— Booger (@ESPNBooger) January 8, 2023
The Cowboys are hoping to finally get one over on the GOAT as he is 7-0 in his career against Dallas.
Tampa Bay finished the regular season 8-9, but you can throw the records out once the playoffs start.
Brady is the most experienced quarterback in football and he usually plays his best ball when everything is on the line.
Flashing back to Week 1 when these teams squared off, the Bucs dominated Dallas in that game.
They held them to only three points and made the Cowboys high powered offense look putrid.
But, the Cowboys should be motivated to play much better in the playoffs.
Prescott got injured in that Week 1 game which forced him to miss five weeks.
But, once he returned the Cowboys had one of the best offenses in football.
Tampa Bay is usually known for its stout run defense, but that has not been the case this year.
They are allowing 120.7 rushing yards per game, which ranked 15th in the NFL this year.
Dallas should focus on Tony Pollard both as a runner and receiver in this game, as he is a matchup nightmare.
Also, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb needs to see at least 12 targets in the game.
For Dallas’ defense, pressuring Brady will be crucial.
When you knock him off his spot and force him to move around that is when he gets uncomfortable.
The Cowboys open up as 3 point favorites over the Bucs, in the first round of the playoffs.
(Odds via @betonline_ag)
— Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) January 9, 2023
Despite having a poor record, if the Cowboys take Tampa Bay lightly they will lose.
Fans have been expecting this highly anticipated matchup for weeks, and now it is finally here.
