NFC Game Of The Week
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys
Buccaneers: They were one of the talks of the off-season. After their playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Tom Brady was non-committal on returning for the 2022 season. I knew something was up because he usually gives hints as to what’s about to take place for him the following year. On February 1st, the iconic quarterback announced he was hanging it up after 22 legendary seasons. 45 days later, Tom announces he’s unretiring which I saw coming. After that, Bruce Arians announced he was stepping down as head coach and would move to the front office. The team promoted Todd Bowles to head coach. With Tom back, the Buccaneers are not only the favorite to win their division, they’re also a threat to reach the Super Bowl once again. That’s always a thing when you this quarterback under center, you have a shot every single year. Their offense is exactly where I knew it would be because they’ve allowed 12 to run the offense to his liking. If you’re going to play man coverage on this offense, you must have the pass rushers to get home and pressure the quarterback because if you don’t, he’s going to pick you apart. The only area I’m concerned about with Tampa is their defense. They’re not the unit we saw when they won the Super Bowl a few years back. The secondary is a weakness, and they can’t consistently apply pressure on the quarterback. On Sunday, they will open the year up in Arlington.
Cowboys: Last year was a solid year for them. Dak Prescott got paid, returned after suffering a gruesome ankle injury back in 2020 and they won the NFC East for the first time since 2018. I have a few problems with the Cowboys offense. The first is Dak being a shootout type of quarterback. He’s not that guy and never will be. Whenever he throws the football more than 30 times, it usually doesn’t fare well for them. The next issue is the inconsistent running game and not committing to feeding Ezekiel Elliott the football. I can’t pin his struggles all on him. Yes, he’s had a tough time staying healthy at times, but look at who their coach is. Mike McCarthy is notoriously known for not running the football or even attempting to establish a ground game. The Dallas offense will look different this year, especially at receiver. They traded Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns which makes CeeDee Lamb the official number one receiver and this is exactly why he was drafted, for this moment. While the defense was up and down at times in 2021, one consistent shining point was Micah Parsons. He was everything for them and had an immediate impact right away. What couldn’t he do? Micah was in on stopping the run, defending from sideline to sideline and he could even defend in pass coverage! They kick off their 2022 season on Sunday night.
Buccaneers X-Factor: Cameron Brate– With Gronk gone, look for Brady to target Brate a bit more these days. Tom loves targeting his tight ends and if he doesn’t trust you, he’s not getting you the ball, plain and simple. When Cameron has his looks, he’s getting the ball. He’s an underneath presence that converts the chains when necessary.
Cowboys X-Factor: CeeDee Lamb– This is your time to shine. The Cowboys have a lot of faith in you. After all, you made Amari Cooper expendable because they traded him. You’re the number one receiver now and it’s time to show it. Look for Dak to target CeeDee early and often so the two of them can mesh and get into a rhythm. The sky is the limit for this young receiver.
Final Thoughts: These two opened up the 2021 season and it would end up being one of the best games I’ve seen all year long. It came down to the final seconds and Tampa came out on top. Over a year later, here we are again. Buccaneers, Cowboys, week one. This time, it’s at Jerry World. I’ll say this and listen to me carefully: When you play Tom Brady in man coverage in the secondary, you must have the pass rushers to get home to him. If you don’t, he will pick you apart. When they met last year, Tom’s uniform was too clean for my liking. The Cowboys must do all they can to disrupt his pocket. Don’t give him time to throw. Look for Tampa to get after Dak early on. I’d flush him to his left and make him throw because that’s his least dominant side. Also, Dak must play his game. Getting into a shootout with Brady is asking to lose.
Prediction: Buccaneers 29, Cowboys 24
