Cowboys defeat Buccaneers and advance to the NFC divisional round against 49ers
The NFC divisional round will have a familiar look if you’re a fan of the Washington Commanders. Three of the four remaining NFC playoffs teams will represent the NFC East after the Dallas Cowboys beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-14.
The Commanders were also played by the fourth team, San Francisco 49ers.
It was unclear which Dallas team would take on Tom Brady and the Bucs. After a slow start Dak Preston, Cowboys quarterback, was able to settle down. He completed 25 of 33 passes, for 305 yards, with four touchdowns. Prescott ran for a touchdown.
Brady, however, struggled right from the beginning. Brady and the Bucs drove early in the game. They were trailing 6-0. Brady was able to throw an interception in red zone for the first time since 2019. The Cowboys capitalized, driving 80 yards and finishing it off with a fourth down conversion and touchdown.
That was all she wrote.
Tampa’s defense had no answer for Dallas. Prescott was rarely under pressure by the Buccaneers. He could go through his progressions and see open receivers in secondary.
The Cowboys had over 400 yards of total offense during the win.
Dallas will travel to San Francisco next week to face the 49ers. San Francisco is the NFL’s hottest team right now. The Philadelphia Eagles will host the New York Giants in the NFC divisional playoff match.
It was a great year for the NFC East.