Cowboys vs. Bucs Preview: LOOK Inside Practice - Dak, Micah and More

FRISCO - In the Wild Card round, the Dallas Cowboys hit the road for a date, and rematch, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Tom Brady on Monday Night Football. Dallas looks to survive and advance in order to keep its quest for the franchise's first Super Bowl title in nearly 30 years still alive.

They'll use "baby photos'' to get there - seriously! - and here inside The Star, they'll use a Friday practice before they hit the road. A photo look (no babies allowed!) inside the workout ...

Dak Prescott leads his group out ...

#Cowboys QB Dak Prescott enters here at The Star for #Bucs work - https://t.co/XpImtdZoYw pic.twitter.com/MOp53wYiyT
— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) January 13, 2023

Mackensie Alexander is trying to stay in the mix ...

#Cowboys work The Star for #Bucs prep … CB Alexander on the cords - https://t.co/XpImtdZWO4 pic.twitter.com/fEm0uiFT0x
— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) January 13, 2023

Though Xavier Rhodes might be the guy who gets a turn this week.

New Cowboys CB Xavier Rhodes pic.twitter.com/bDV6vRarvx
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) January 13, 2023

Meanwhile, Leighton Vander Esch is ready ...

#Cowboys at The Star for #Bucs … LVE with the helmet and the sled - https://t.co/XpImtdZWO4 pic.twitter.com/cRZNZcT1C4
— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) January 13, 2023

And Micah Parsons is catching passes using a different look.

#Cowboys practicing here at The Star for #Bucs … note All-Pro Micah Parsons hand …. Catching passes - https://t.co/XpImtdZoYw pic.twitter.com/pEeQ7HGxEi
— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) January 13, 2023

The Buccaneers started their 2022 NFC South Division-winning season in Dallas with a 19-3 victory in which quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a thumb injury. A lot has happened since then: Prescott missed five weeks, rehabbed and returned to lead the Cowboys to an average of 32.4 points per game.

How did they get here? The Cowboys finished the season with a 12-5 record after a loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 18. Dallas is the fifth seed as the top Wild Card team in the NFC. The Buccaneers clinched the NFC South in Week 17 with a win over the Carolina Panthers, snagging the fourth seed in the NFC.

The Bucs are great at avoiding mistakes and are able to win close games; Their last six wins have been decided by six points or fewer.

Dallas' defense, which leads the league with 33 takeaways, hopes to create more errors for Brady and co. Micah Parsons led the NFL with 90 quarterback pressures in 2022, per PFF. He also led the league by pressuring opposing quarterbacks on 19.3 percent of his pass rushes.

The Cowboys offense is searching for momentum after failing to score at touchdown in their regular season finale defeat to the Commanders. Prescott has thrown a league-high 14 interceptions in 11 games with an interception rate that is more than double his career average coming into the season.

FUN FACT: The Cowboys will play in their 65th playoff game on Sunday, the most in NFL history.

RECORDS: Dallas Cowboys (12-5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9)

ODDS: Dallas is a 3-point favorite vs. the Buccaneers.

GAME TIME: Monday, January 16, 2022, at 7:15 p.m. CT

LOCATION: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa Bay, Florida)

TV/RADIO: ESPN/ABC, 105.3 The Fan

THE FINAL WORD: Receiver CeeDee Lamb knows his team must energize themselves for a win-or-go-home game on Monday night:

“I feel like we all gotta flip the switch. Can’t really let it linger," Lamb said it starts with, "understanding that we can’t really lose anymore. Going into next week we know what we gotta do. We know the season is ... at stake.''

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