The Dallas Cowboys beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to advance to the divisional round of the 2023 NFL playoffs to face the San Francisco 49ers.
The Dallas Cowboys made history Monday night during the NFC wild card matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, beating Tom Brady for the first time… EVER!
Dak Prescott threw for four touchdowns and ran for another to lead the Dallas Cowboys to a 31-14 victory over the Buccaneers.
In the first quarter, the Cowboys led the Buccaneers 6-0, with Dak Prescott finding Dalton Schultz for a 22-yard touchdown although Cowboys kicker, Brett Maher, missed the extra point.
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Tom Brady had not thrown an interception in the red zone since becoming a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. But he has now!
In the second quarter of Monday night's wild card game, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback was picked off in the back of the end zone by Dallas Cowboys safety Jayron Kearse. There wasn't a Buccaneers player close to where Brady threw the ball, making it an easy pick for Kearse.
Prescott got his naked bootleg on, then capped a 15-play, 80-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown walk into the end zone untouched on fourth-and-goal, extending the lead to 12-0. Maher's PAT attempt was again no good though, but it wasn't the last miss.
Cowboys kicker Brett Maher missed four straight extra points, including three in the first half today. Despite those misses, the Cowboys still led the Buccaneers at halftime 18-0.
Maher became the first player in NFL history to miss that many PATs in a game. Maher finally converted on his fifth attempt after coach Mike McCarthy decided against sending him out to try a field goal from roughly the same distance as a PAT.
Mike McCarthy on the Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher after his four missed PATs tonight: "We need to get him ready to go (for San Francisco)… We need him. He's been super clutch for us all year." So it seems Dallas will stick with him next week-- at least for now.
Prescott completed 25 of 33 passes for 305 yards and played turnover-free ball for the first time in eight games as the Cowboys (13-5) dominated the listless Bucs (8-10) in what may turn out to be Brady’s last game in a Tampa Bay uniform.
BLUE STAR
Dallas beat Brady for the first time in the seven-time Super Bowl champion’s career and won in the postseason on the road for the first time in 30 years. Brady, who signed with Tampa Bay in 2020 and led the Bucs to a Super Bowl title two years ago, will be a free agent this winter. He retired briefly last February before changing his mind and returning for a 23rd season at age 45.
The Cowboys had dropped eight straight playoff games on the road since winning the NFC championship game in San Francisco on Jan. 17, 1993.
Also during the game, Tampa Bay receiver Russell Gage was strapped to a backboard and carted off the field after an injury late in the fourth quarter. Gage slipped and fell to the turf while running a route and took a blow to the neck area as he went down. He was unable to get to his feet and silence fell over the stadium as players took a knee and medical personnel tended to him.
WHO WILL THE DALLAS COWBOYS PLAY NEXT?
The Dallas Cowboys open as 4-point underdogs at the second-seeded San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
