LIVE UPDATES: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Dallas Cowboys
DLThe 2023 NFL Playoffs are in full swing after five games were played between Saturday and Sunday. The Wild Card Round will wrap up on Monday night as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9) prepare to host the Dallas Cowboys (12-5) in a primetime matchup on ESPN. The stage is set as Tom Brady eyes another opponent that he's undefeated against during his 23-year career. Brady is 7-0 against the Cowboys across his time with the Buccaneers and New England Patriots, though he's never faced off against the franchise this late in the season.
READ MORE: Staff Score Predictions - Buccaneers at Cowboys
It's been a rocky campaign for Tampa Bay through plenty of choppy waters. Inconsistency, injuries, questionable coaching decisions, and a plethora of other issues have popped up during the 2022-23 season. However, there is some optimism that Brady and the Buccaneers will rekindle the same magic that drove them to a championship two years ago.
The 45-year-old and future Hall of Famer has locked in and looked more like himself over the past couple of weeks. On the other end, Cowboys star quarterback Dak Prescott has been plagued with turnovers this season. He’s thrown a career-high 15 interceptions and fumbled four times while throwing 23 touchdowns in just 12 starts during the regular season. That includes at least one interception and 11 total in his last appearances.
BucsGameday will be providing live updates throughout the evening on BucsGameday.com and our Twitter.
PREGAME:
— Quarterback Kyle Trask, tight end Kyle Rudolph, wide receiver Breshad Perriman, safety Keanu Neal, and guard Nick Leverett are inactive for Tampa Bay. Veteran center Ryan Jensen will suit up for the first time this season against Dallas. In his place, the team removed linebacker J.J. Russell from the active roster.
— Linebacker Jabril Cox, quarterback Will Grier, wide receiver Jalen Tolbert, cornerback Nashon Wright, cornerback Trayvon Mullen, defensive tackle Neville Gallimore and defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna are inactive for the Cowboys. Veteran cornerback Xavier Rhodes and reserve tackle Aviantte Collins were activated from the practice squad while defensive tackle Jonathan Hankins was elevated from Injured Reserve to the active roster.
FIRST QUARTER:
— (14:35): Tampa Bay won the opening coin toss and deferred to the second half, giving the Cowboys the ball first. The Buccaneers forced a quick three and out as quarterback Dak Prescott missed on his first three passes.
Prescott failed to hook up with star CeeDee Lamb twice before overthrowing T.Y. Hilton on third down. The punt from Anger traveled 50 yards and was returned by Deven Thompkins for 10 yards to the Tampa Bay 35.
SCORE: Tampa Bay 0, Dallas 0
— (13:35): The Buccaneers open up on offense with a three and out of their own after getting behind the chains early. Jake Camarda's punt traveled 45 yards and was returned by Turpin for seven yards to the Dallas 29. A positive update, Ryan Jensen started and is participating.
Micah Parsons came off the edge to bring down Rachaad White for a loss of three on the first play of the drive. Brady had an open Russell Gage over the middle but his throw was too high or it would've been a conversion. Pressure forced a pass well short of the chains on third down.
SCORE: Tampa Bay 0, Dallas 0
— (11:20): The defenses continue to set the tone early in the game. Tampa Bay forces its second straight three and out to begin the night. Anger punts for 45 yards as Thompkins returns the kick for ten yards to the Tampa Bay 41.
Defensive lineman Akiem Hicks and safety Mike Edwards combined to stop Ezekiel Elliott for a loss of two to begin the drive. Backed into another third and long, Vita Vea was able to get to Prescott for a sack.
SCORE: Tampa Bay 0, Dallas 0
— (10:00): Four combined possessions, zero combined firsts down for Tampa Bay and Dallas. The Buccaneers were unable to convert on third down and Camarda's punt went 54 yards for a touchback.
Brady went short to Mike Evans for their first connection to start off the possession. Running back Leonard Fournette cut inside instead of bouncing outside - where it looked like he would've gained more yards - to bring up third down. Brady went over the middle to Gage but the pass was deflected by Jayron Kearse.
SCORE: Tampa Bay 0, Dallas 0
— (6:28): The Cowboys stick with the running game and it pays off. Prescott caps off a 75-yard drive with a touchdown pass to a wide-open tight end, Dalton Schultz. However, the extra point was pushed wide, giving Dallas a 6-0 lead with the first quarter winding down.
Play-action from Prescott to wide receiver Michael Gallup on the sideline gained 15 and Dallas was aided by a roughing the passer call on Akiem Hicks. It was a questionable flag but Hicks' hands were a little high on the tackle and he landed on Prescott. Tony Pollard found 18 yards to the left on the next play after Devin White took a bad angle on his tackle attempt. Prescott went 3/3 for 40 yards and a score on the drive.
SCORE: Tampa Bay 0, Dallas 6
SECOND QUARTER:
— (14:51): The Buccaneers came to life behind the arm and decision-making of Tom Brady. However, an off-play from Brady resulted in his first red zone turnover since 2019 as he was intercepted by Kearse.
The offense converted on three third-down attempts while grinding its way downfield. Brady was forced to throw short on 3rd and 7 and White kept the drive alive with a move in space. Brady found Mike Evans for another third-down conversion before improvising with a flip to Godwin to close to the goal line. Promising but no dice for the Buccaneers.
SCORE: Tampa Bay 0, Dallas 6
— (6:13): Dallas converts the turnover into a larger lead late in the first half. Prescott fooled everyone with a play-action keeper on fourth and goal to run it in himself. The extra point was no good for the second straight time as the Cowboys lead 12-0.
The offense converted on its first three third-downs of the possession to get into Tampa Bay territory. Prescott took advantage of busted coverage to connect with rookie tight end Jake Ferguson for 34 yards that made it 1st and goal. It looked like the Buccaneers might make a stand before Prescott took things into his own hands.
SCORE: Tampa Bay 0, Dallas 12
— (3:32): Pressure from the Cowboys shuts down the Buccaneers once again. Tampa Bay faced a fourth and medium scenario from midfield but Todd Bowles elected to punt. Camarda's kick traveled 44 yards and was fair caught at the Dallas 9.
There was some promise in the possession early as Brady found Godwin for nine yards. However, the stop from Odighizuwa and a throw to Cade Otton that fell short due to pressure got the offense off the field quickly.
SCORE: Tampa Bay 0, Dallas 12
— (:27): Tampa Bay's defense can't get off the field. Dallas drives 91 yards with ease and Prescott connects with Schultz for their second touchdown of the evening. Prescott has already combined for three total scores in the opening half. The kicking struggles continue as another extra point is missed but the lead is extended to 18-0.
Prescott and Schultz stayed hot as the quarterback worked his way up to 11 straight completions. He was also able to find Gallup and Lamb for conversions. An even bigger problem may be his legs as Prescott has run four times for 20 yards.
SCORE: Tampa Bay 0, Dallas 18
— (:00): The Buccaneers work their way toward midfield but can't complete an improbable throw hail mary attempt. The team limps into the break facing a double-digit deficit with zero points on the board.
Brady hit rookie tight end Cade Otton on the possession for 18 yards but it didn't matter.
SCORE: Tampa Bay 0, Dallas 18
THIRD QUARTER:
— (14:11): The struggles continue into the second half as Tampa Bay opens the third quarter with a three and out. Camarda's punt is nearly blocked but still travels 53 yards to the Dallas 14.
It appeared that there was pass interference on Brady's third-down throw to Chris Godwin but it went uncalled.
SCORE: Tampa Bay 0, Dallas 18
— (10:04): Dallas doesn't miss a beat on its first drive of the second. Prescott continues to connect with his tight ends and eventually finds wide receiver Michael Gallup for a score. The Cowboys lead 24-0 after a fourth missed extra point from Maher.
Prescott opened things up with a 26-yard connection to Schultz down the sideline and never looked back. He hit a streaking CeeDee Lamb for 26 before the eventual touchdown pass to Gallup. The Cowboys are running away with this one.
SCORE: Tampa Bay 0, Dallas 24
— (8:09): Nothing is going right for Tampa Bay. Once again, the offense can't get anything going behind a combination of not being on the same page and penalities. Camarda punts for the fifth time tonight, this one going 49 yards to the Dallas 22.
Godwin fumbled on the possession after catching a pass over the middle for a first down but the play was reversed. However, a personaly foul penalty on Ryan Jensen pushed the Buccaneers back. Brady was nearly intercepted while targeting Brate before missing Evans downfield.
SCORE: Tampa Bay 0, Dallas 24
— (3:09): In what feels like a surprise, the Buccaneers finally stop Dallas from getting into the end zone. The Cowboys punt for the first time sine the opening minutes of the game and down the kick at the Tampa Bay 4.
Prescott continued to utilize his tight ends, hitting Schultz on back to back throws to convert on third down. The Buccaneers stiffened up around midfield to force the punt.
SCORE: Tampa Bay 0, Dallas 24
— (:00): Here come the Buccaneers. Tom Brady drives the offense 95 yards to get the team its first points of the night. Brady connected with Julio Jones for a 30-yard score but couldn't convert the two-point conversion.
There were some injuries on the drive as the Cowboys lost Jayron Kearse and Dorance Armstrong. Godwin remains in the game but appears to be hurting. Brady and Evans finally connected on a decent gain before the deep shot to Jones to conclude the quarter.
SCORE: Tampa Bay 6, Dallas 24
FOURTH QUARTER:
— (10:31): The Cowboys put the nail in the coffin for Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Prescott continues his fantastic night as he finds a wide-open CeeDee Lamb for a touchdown. Maher finally hits an extra point on his fifth attempt and Dallas leads 31-6.
The defense had multiple chances to get the Cowboys off of the field. Prescott connected with Gallup on third and six to stay alive. Lavonte David brought down Pollard short of the line to gain in the red zone to bring up fourth down before Prescott promptly hit Lamb for the score.
SCORE: Tampa Bay 6, Dallas 31
— (6:20): Tampa Bay works its way into scoring position but gets shut down at the goal line. This one is all but over with the Cowboys taking over possession of the ball.
Brady found Evans for back to back first downs and also hit Otton twice in a row to set up a first and goal scenario. However, Johnathan Hankins sacked Brady on third down and Chauncey Gholston was all over him on fourth and goal to force an incompletion.
SCORE: Tampa Bay 6, Dallas 31
— (4:43): The ball quickly goes back to the Buccaneers as the defense forces a three and out. Anger's punt travels 52 yards and was returned by Thompkins for 14 yards to the Tampa Bay 48.
SCORE: Tampa Bay 6, Dallas 31
— (2:04): Tampa Bay scores a late touchdown as Brady connects with Brate to make the score 31-14. More importantly, wide receiver Russell Gage appeared to suffer a neck injury and was carted off the field.
SCORE: Tampa Bay 14, Dallas 31
— (1:08): The Buccaneers recover the onside kick but end up turning the ball over on downs. That'll do it for Tampa Bay's season and possibly Tom Brady's career.
SCORE: Tampa Bay 14, Dallas 31
— (:00): Dallas kneels out the clock to secure the victory. The Cowboys advance to the NFL's Divisional Round to take on the red-hot San Francisco 49ers.
SCORE: Tampa Bay 14, Dallas 31
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