Dak Prescott, Cowboys rout Buccaneers to end road playoff woes

[January 17, 2023] Dak Prescott passed for four touchdowns and rushed for another to lead the Dallas Cowboys to a dominating 31-14 victory over the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night in the NFC wild-card round.

Prescott passed for 305 yards while guiding the fifth-seeded Cowboys to their first playoff road victory since prevailing 30-20 over the San Francisco 49ers on Jan. 17, 1993, at Candlestick Park. Dallas broke an eight-game road skid with the win.

"I didn't listen to anybody else's opinions, anybody else's thoughts," Prescott said on ESPN after the game when asked about being consistently asked about the Cowboys' playoff woes. "I have a great supporting cast a team that believes in me. That's all that really matters to me and just stay focused on what I can do."

Ironically, the Cowboys will visit the second-seeded 49ers on Sunday in the divisional round.

"I'm excited for it. They're a good team," Prescott said of the 49ers. "They took us out last year (in the playoffs). We know what we have ahead of us."

Dalton Schultz caught seven passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns while Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb also had scoring receptions for the Cowboys. Tony Pollard rushed for 77 yards on 15 carries.

Tom Brady completed 35 of 66 passes for 351 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for the fourth-seeded Buccaneers. Brady hasn't yet committed to returning to Tampa Bay, playing for another team next season or retiring.
 

"I'm going to go home and get a good night's sleep, at least as good as I can tonight," Brady said at his postgame news conference (which he ended by thanking the media for covering the team and thanked the Buccaneers for welcoming him to the club before the 2020 season).

Julio Jones and Cameron Brate caught touchdown passes and Chris Godwin had 10 receptions for 85 yards for the Buccaneers.

Cowboys kicker Brett Maher set an NFL postseason record by missing four extra-point attempts, his first four of the game. Maher missed three to the right and one to the left.

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa (97) puts pressure on Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) in the first half during the wild card game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas didn't record a first down on either of its first two possessions but traveled 80 yards on seven plays during its third time with the ball. The Cowboys capped it when Prescott threw a 22-yard scoring pass to Schultz with 6:28 left in the opening quarter.

Tampa Bay had a chance to tie the score but Brady was intercepted in the end zone by Jayron Kearse on the second play of the second quarter.

Dallas responded with a 15-play, 80-yard drive that chewed 8:38 off the clock. Prescott scored the touchdown while cruising to the left on a 1-yard run.

The Cowboys delivered an 11-play, 91-yard excursion later in the quarter. This time, Prescott hit Schultz on an 11-yard throw to make it 18-0 with 27 seconds left in the half.

Dallas continued its domination with another long drive in the third quarter. The Cowboys meandered 86 yards on eight plays with Prescott hitting Gallup on a 2-yard score. Maher's fourth miss left the Dallas lead at 24.

Tampa Bay got on the board when Brady hit Jones with a 30-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the third quarter. The two-point conversion failed.

Due to Maher's kicking problems, Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy waved the kicking unit off on fourth-and-4 in the fourth quarter. Instead, Dallas went for it and Prescott hit a wide-open Lamb for an 18-yard score with 10:13 remaining.

Maher entered and kicked an extra point right down the middle.

--Field Level Media

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