'Pressure is Privilege': Dak Prescott Talks Tom Brady, Bucs & Cowboys Predictions
The bright lights didn't seem to blind Dak Prescott in Week 1 of last season, even as he entered hostile territory to take the field for the first time since the season-ending ankle injury he suffered in 2020.
The Dallas Cowboys couldn't quite keep up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 31-29 loss, but Prescott had arguably out-played Tom Brady, the defending Super Bowl MVP, who had just secured the seventh ring of his career the season prior.
A passing-game frenzy saw Prescott go 42 of 58 passing for three touchdowns and a pick while Brady finished 32 of 50 for 379 passing yards, four scores, and two interceptions under the spotlight of Sunday Night Football.
Almost a year later to the date, the script is now flipped to Arlington and AT&T Stadium, where the Cowboys will have another crack at season-opening revenge against the Bucs on Sunday, Sept. 11.
The Cowboys vs. Brady is cant-miss American TV, and Prescott is loving every bit of the prime-time pressure.
“It’s awesome," he said. "I’ve said over and over, pressure is a privilege and I think playing in as many prime-time and national games as we do it just allows those expectations and standards - that everybody has, not just for myself - to always be heightened."
Week 1 will mark the third all-time meeting between Prescott and Brady. The future Hall of Famer currently has a 2-0 edge, as Brady and the New England Patriots picked up a 13-9 win over Dallas during his final season in Foxborough in 2019.
Prescott knows these chances won't come often for much longer. The Cowboys' next game against the Bucs is set for the 2024 season, as Dallas will have a NFC South slate on the docket.
It's impossible to put anything past Brady, who could still be in the league and have the Bucs in contention in two years for all we know. But with the future uncertain, Prescott is embracing what could be his final regular-season matchup with one of the greatest athletes in the history of sports.
“You definitely have to embrace it … a guy whose résumé speaks for itself," Prescott said. "Shows up at his age and is still better than most to do this … the greatest to do this honestly. In the moment to play him, understand what that team’s gonna bring with him as the leader and him on the other side. Just ready for that matchup.”
Among all telecasts in 2021, the Cowboys-Bucs Week 1 matchup was the 15th-most watched program with 26.4 million viewers, per SportsBusinessJournal.com. Aside from that game, the Cowboys and Bucs were responsible for six more of the most-watched programs in the top 15.
"When you’re playing on national TV each game you’re as good as your last game and that’s the saying that I always say whether it be in the house of dominoes or whether it be a play on the football field or in a game," Prescott said.
And the Cowboys' last game? A forgettable one. Even Prescott has admitted that the 23-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in last season's Wild Card still haunts him, though the lasting memory of it remains as fuel for motivation.
The Cowboys will see if this holds true when the season begins against the Bucs on Sept 11. at 7:20 p.m. C.T.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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