Gameday Preview: Can Tom Brady Continue His Dominance vs. The Cowboys?
Iconic. Historic. Legendary.
Each of these adjectives could be used to describe Tom Brady, the player, or the Dallas Cowboys, the franchise.
Beloved by some, hated by many.
Despite the fact that he is the oldest position player in the NFL by a significant margin, the Dallas Cowboys have been around a lot longer than Tom Brady. And over the course of their history, they've achieved a great deal of success. The team's popularity skyrocketed in the 1990s when Jimmy Johnson built what was then a modern dynasty. The Cowboys were brash, exciting, and damn good. During that timeframe, they were able to add three Lombardi's to their trophy case, in addition to the two they had already secured in the 70s.
As a franchise, the Dallas Cowboys are tied for third in NFL history with a total of five Super Bowl victories.
And although they stand out when compared to most other franchises in the NFL, their collective success over the years pales in comparison to that of one man: Tom Brady.
With seven Lombardi Trophies to his name and over 20 winning seasons in the league, Tom Brady has emphatically planted his flag as the greatest football player in the history of the sport.
READ MORE: Tom Brady Responds to Rumors Linking Him to Raiders, Dolphins
If you'd like to take a closer look at just how dominant Tom Brady has been in the postseason, I highly suggest you take a few minutes to read through this Twitter thread, produced by Tom Brady Facts.
Tom Brady's absurd level of greatness isn't tarnished when applied specifically to this matchup, either. Brady is 7-0 vs. the Dallas Cowboys in his career.
But context is important. And although Tom Brady is a postseason piranha, he's also never been the quarterback of a team with a losing record. Until now.
It's been a challenging year for the Buccaneers as a team, and for Tom Brady personally. None of that will matter if Tampa Bay is able to get their act together for the playoffs though, in what is being deemed as the 'second season' for this group.
It's time to start over. And if things don't look drastically different than they did during the regular season for the Bucs, then this second season will be over and done with in quick order.
The biggest concerns for the Bucs (8-9) heading into this first-round matchup with the Cowboys (12-5) are on the offensive side of the ball. First and foremost, the health of their offensive line is paramount. With starting center, Ryan Jensen working his way back from a serious (and mysterious) knee injury that's sidelined him for the entire regular season, his availability this postseason is about as clear as a sandstorm in the desert.
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To make matters worse, reserve center, Robert Hainsey, who has done an excellent job filling in for Jensen all season, sustained a hamstring injury in the team's final regular season game vs. the Falcons. If neither Hainsey nor Jensen are able to suit up, then Nick Leverett would be forced to slide over to center. At least that would have been the contingency plan. Unfortunately, Leverett has since been downgraded to doubtful for this matchup due to knee and shoulder injuries. The most negative implication of these injuries, aside from numerous lineman potentially being unavailable in the most important game of the year, is that rookie, Luke Goedeke, would then be thrust back into the starting left guard position, which he occupied to begin the year.
It wasn't pretty.
I don't mean to hammer Goedeke, but the fact is, at this point of his career, he is a liability as a starting guard in the NFL. Having to ask him to fill that role against the dynamic athletes along the Cowboys' defensive line would ultimately be a nightmare scenario for the Bucs.
The other major concern facing this Buccaneers' team is the offensive scheme and play-calling. Throughout the entirety of this season, Bucs' offensive coordinator, Byron Leftwich, has put on an absolute clinic in terms of wasting talent, and simultaneously ruining his reputation as an up-and-coming offensive coach in the league.
I can't imagine how frustrating it must be for the Bucs' owners, and GM, Jason Licht, to have spent all this money on Ferraris, McLarens, and Bentleys, just to have Byron Leftwich leave them in the garage so he can try to win the race with a Toyota Corolla.
There's still time, however, for Leftwich to redeem himself.
He needs to play to the strengths of his offensive personnel, which aren't all that challenging to identify. When the Buccaneers play with tempo, utilize play-action, and throw the ball on a more consistent basis, in less predictable formations, especially in neutral situations, they experience success.
Whether the overly conservative offensive approach that's become synonymous with this 2022 Bucs team is a result of Todd Bowles' desire to try and win games with defense, or just a lack of creativity by Leftwich, I'm not sure. But the results (or lack thereof) speak for themselves.
If the Buccaneers have any hope of taking down the Cowboys in this Wild-Card matchup, the offense will need to put together an aggressive performance over four full quarters.
Defensively, I think the Bucs match up pretty well with the Cowboys. Despite missing their most productive edge rusher, Shaq Barrett, who was lost earlier this season to a torn Achilles, they've got enough size and talent in their front seven to provide some serious resistance to the Cowboys' potent rushing attack.
Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliot form a great combination of power and speed, and together, they've allowed the Cowboys to operate as a top-10 team in rushing yards per game. The Bucs on the other hand, are dead last in rushing, averaging just over 75 rushing yards per contest.
The Bucs will need to limit Pollard and Elliot's production on the ground in this game. Despite struggling against the run earlier this season, Todd Bowles' unit has begun to find their identity in this regard. With players like Vita Vea, Akiem Hicks, Will Gholston, and of course their dynamic duo of linebackers in Lavonte David and Devin White, Tampa Bay has the DNA of a great run defending team. They've been trending in the right direction over the final stretch of the regular season, too.
If the Bucs can find success in slowing down the Cowboys' rushing attack, they should feel confident in their defensive backs to hold up on the back end. Outside of CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys lack playmakers in the receiving department. And in the first matchup between these two teams, Tampa Bay's secondary did a tremendous job shutting down Lamb. The combination of Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean held Lamb to just 29 yards on 2 catches, which went a long way toward holding the Cowboys to just three points in that game.
The Buccaneers' secondary has been a turnstile of different players this year, with injuries plaguing this group over the course of the season. Although it took all year, it seems as though they've finally reached a point where they're entering the postseason close to full health. This is valuable because it gives Todd Bowles a ton of flexibility and allows him to ensure he's got fresh legs on the field as much as possible. Veteran safeties, Logan Ryan and Keanu Neal, have both shown flashes this year, with Ryan being rock solid in coverage, and Neal showing plenty of juice as a blitzer and run defender. Being able to rotate these players into the game in certain packages, alongside (or instead of) Antoine Winfield Jr. and Mike Edwards, makes this defense far more dynamic, and harder to predict for opposing offenses.
The biggest challenge for Tampa Bay's defense will be trying to generate an effective pass rush. Second-year player, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, has shown promise in terms of generating pressures, but he's struggled to get home and has just four sacks on the season. The aforementioned loss of Shaq Barrett is a big one, especially with three future hall-of-famers (Zack Martin, Tyron Smith, and Jason Peters) playing along the Cowboys offensive line.
Outside of Tryon-Shoyinka, Carl Nassib and Anthony Nelson have performed admirably in Barrett's absence, with Nelson really making an impact over the second half of the regular season. Nelson is currently tied with linebacker, Devin White, for the team lead with 5.5 sacks.
Although the Buccaneers' pass rushers will certainly have their hands full in this game, and sacks may be hard to come by, they can still make an imprint on this contest by pressuring the Cowboys' tackles. If they can, it will not only make life harder on Prescott in the pocket but also make life easier for Vea and Hicks to wreak havoc along the interior.
Without a stud edge rusher at his disposal, I expect Todd Bowles to unveil a number of deceptive alignments in hopes of manufacturing pressure in unconventional ways. If anyone can creatively overcome a lack of firepower from the defensive end position, but still find ways to pressure the quarterback, it's Todd Bowles.
This matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football has the potential to be one of the more exciting games of the weekend. Despite all the star power though, I expect the play in the trenches to have the greatest impact on the outcome of this football game.
Who will be starting along Tampa Bay's offensive line come kickoff on Monday night? Do the Bucs have enough healthy bodies to contain Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence? Will Byron Leftwich finally ditch the kid gloves, and call an aggressive game on offense? Can Todd Bowles make up for Shaq Barrett's absence, and find creative ways to keep Dak Prescott under pressure?
These are the biggest questions facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers heading into their playoff matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. Thankfully, we're guaranteed to get an answer for each one. We just need to wait until 8:15 pm EST on Monday night to get them.
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