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They are a lower seed and play away, but with their own discord this season, the Dallas Cowboys will be the betting favorites against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their NFC Wildcard Round matchup on Monday night. .
The 12 wins the Cowboys have won during the regular season doesn’t mean much for quarterback Tom Brady, who is undefeated in seven games against Dallas on the other side. For the team, it doesn’t make things easier.
Here are four things the Cowboys need to make the playoffs for the first time in four years.
Dak Prescott, Kellen Moore find their rhythm
For the Cowboys to overtake the Buccaneers, they need to be much better than the tape Prescott put out eight days ago.
His 37.8% completion rate was the worst of his career. He threw an interception in seven straight games to finish his regular season and lead the league alongside Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills. On Sunday, his mistakes were nowhere near and his reading felt slow.
Prescott and the Cowboys have opened at least two seasons against the Buccaneers, both losing. In the first, around 31-29, Prescott threw 58 innings (42 completions) for 403 yards and three touchdowns. In 2022, Dallas couldn’t even find the end zone and lost 19-3.
Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore must find a way to lull Prescott into the passing game and build confidence early on. It arrives.
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There is a gap in the run game
The Cowboys ran the ball seven times on first down against Washington and were held to 10 total yards. Neither Ezekiel Elliott (8 rushes, 10 yards) nor Tony Pollard (7 attempts, 19 yards) could find room to run. According to Moore, the complete lack of production on first down made it difficult to maintain the drive.
Dallas went 18 for 4 (22%) on third down with 10 three-and-outs (12 total) with Prescott on the field. The Cowboys finished the season his fifth in third-down conversion percentage (45.5%). The main reason is to get the ball running well in the early downs.
Offensive line health has a clear impact on lashing attack performance. The good news is that center Tyler his Biadas is expected to return to the playoffs. But the absence of tackle Terrence Steele makes things harder against the average Buccaneers rushing defense.
Special Teams Flash Bad Game
The Special Teams mistake in what turned out to be a meaningless Week 18 game can be forgiven. However, special teams’ failures in the playoffs cost people jobs.
The violation against Washington was conspicuous. Bryan Anger mishandled the snap and failed to miss a punt, turning the ball over inside his zone for Red. Repeater Cavonte’s turpin signaled his catch fair, but forgot the most important part, catching the ball, and set Washington in his position on the field to prime him again. Kicker Brett Maher missed the extra point. Turpin returned the punt and the end he had to roll into the zone.
A special teams accident could be a death knell against a team with Tom Brady’s call signal.
Break the curse of Tom Brady
This is a simple one. Brady is 7-0 against the Cowboys, with his two most recent wins coming in Buccaneers uniforms. This will be the first time Dallas will face Brady in the postseason.
Follow Chris Bambaka on Twitter @BOOMbaca.
This article originally appeared in USA TODAY: Cowboys and Buccaneers NFC Wildcard Playoff Game: Keys to Dallas Winning
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