Dallas Cowboys Eliminate Brady and the Buccaneers, 31-14

Dallas Cowboys eliminated Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last night in the Wild Card round. The final score of the game at the Raymond James Stadium in Florida was 31-14 for the guests from Texas. The absolute start of the event was Dak Prescott, who had five touchdowns this Monday night.

Everything was pretty much over following the opening half, with the Cowboys having an 18-0 lead at the break. We do need to mention that Dallas’ kicker, Brett Maher, missed all of his extra-point conversions.

Yet that didn’t hurt the Cowboys’ prospects of winning. Dallas was better than the Bucs in all aspects of play, recording the first road win in the playoffs since 1993 and the NFC Championship Game in San Francisco. It’s much more important when we add that Dallas defeated Brady for the first time, following seven straight losses.

Prescott threw 305 passing yards, 25-for-33, for four TDs, and he ran for one more. There weren’t any fumbles committed on his side.

“Made sure I was conscious of what I put in my own head,” Prescott added. “Got a great supporting cast in my team, people that believe in me. That’s all that really matters to me, and just stay focused on what I can do.”

Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliot didn’t have any touchdowns, but them two, plus Prescott, recorded 128 rushing yards and were constantly moving the chains when needed. Dalton Schultz was Prescott’s main target, with seven receptions and 95 receiving yards for two scores. CeeDee Lamb had 68 receiving yards, Michael Gallup 46, both for one TD.

Meanwhile, Brady had a very tough night. He threw 66 passes, a career-high, for 351 yards, two touchdowns, and one pick. It was an interception in Dallas’ red zone early on, with the result standing at 6-0 for the guests. For many, that was the turning point of the event.

“It’s always tough,” Brady said of the disappointing finish to the season. “But we didn’t earn it. They did.”

Once again, the Buccaneers’ running game didn’t exist, with the former champs posting only 52 yards on the ground, White 41 and Fournette miserable 11. Chris Godwin ended with 85 receiving yards, Julio Jones had 71 for a touchdown, and Mike Evans had the same, only without a score. The second TD for the Bucs was delivered by Cameron Brate.

Tampa Bay will have an interesting period ahead of them, with Brady entering either free agency or heading for retirement. There are several options on the table for the moment, and the least likely is his retirement from football. Many analysts are suggesting that the smartest move for the seven-time champion is to stay with the Bucs because the NFC won’t be as strong as the AFC.

On the other side, the Dallas Cowboys meet the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round in an NFL classic. It’ll be exciting to see these two teams going at one another. The Cowboys have their chances, yet on the other side, the Niners are looking great despite the fact that the rookie starts at the QB position.

In other games, Philadelphia Eagles host the New York Giants, the Buffalo Bills are against the Cincinnati Bengals in Buffalo, and the Kansas City Chiefs meet the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Arrowhead Stadium in KC.