NFC Game Of The Week
Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Cowboys: Talk about a nightmare in 2020, that’s exactly what it was. The d stood for disaster. The only shining point for the Dallas Cowboys was the play of Dak Prescott. He was arguably having the greatest season of his career up until a gruesome ankle injury ended his season. Dak also kept the Cowboys in games. After that, the Cowboys looked lost. The running game was absent (but Mike McCarthy hates running the ball for some reason), the offensive line struggled, and the defense was hands down the worst in the league. So, how can you get yourselves back to the table? First, they finally signed Dak and gave him the money he deserved. You’ll see the difference in how the offense moves with him than without. That offensive talent they have is too strong with Dak, Zeke, CeeDee Lamb, Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup. In the draft, they focused solely on defense. Micah Parsons fell to them at pick 12 in the first round who I felt was the best defensive player in the draft. Later, they added depth across the board. In my opinion, this is a make-or-break year. If they don’t succeed, I see changes being made. Tonight, they kick the season off in Tampa Bay. Or should I say Tompa Bay?
Bucs: “Throw the towel in”. Even when the quarterback struggled at times in 2020, they talked down on him. If you’ve watched Tom Brady over the years, giving him added motivation is the worst thing you can do because he uses it as fuel to the fire. After the regular-season loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Buccaneers buckled down and never looked back. They had the same team from the 2019 season but one major change at quarterback is what put them over the top. Usually, after a team wins the Super Bowl, the front office realizes they can’t keep everyone. That wasn’t the case for the Bucs this off-season. The defending champs were able to resign all 22 starters from the title-winning team last season. They become the first team since 1979 to bring everyone back. They have what it takes to repeat. Brady will be more comfortable in the system, the defense when clicking is a top three-unit and they’re a well-coached team under Bruce Arians. Also, it helps when you have a full year together with one another along with having training camp. They didn’t have that last year so they had to become accustomed to one another as the season went on. Tonight, football is back! The 2021 season is set to begin! The champs will begin their title defense against America’s team.
Cowboys X-Factor: Keanu Neal: Jerry knew he had to add impact players on the defensive side. This was the perfect signing because he played under new Cowboys defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn back in Atlanta. He entered the league as a safety but will change to a weakside linebacker. I always said he played safety similarly to a linebacker. Keanu always finds a way to the ball carrier. Expect to see him hovering around the line of scrimmage often tonight. Keanu is a hard hitter and that’s what the Cowboys defense needed.
Bucs X-Factor: Giovani Bernard: If you’ve watched TB12 over the years, he relies on what? A running back that he can check the football down to in the short passing game. Last year, Tom didn’t have that one back to check it too. When he tried passing to the running backs, they would drop open passes. Gio is an explosive weapon once the ball hits his hands. He’s the perfect weapon to use within this Tampa Bay offense. Look for the quarterback to look his way quite a bit tonight.
Final Thoughts: Welcome back NFL Football! You were very missed. This is a great way to start the season. Dak Prescott returns to the field which will be a great sight to see after he suffered that gruesome ankle injury last October. Also, tell me if you’ve heard this before: Tom Brady is a Super Bowl champion once again. Seven times to be exact. For Dallas to have a shot, this defense must get home to Brady. The best way to slow him down is to hit him and discombobulate him early on. Throw him off his rhythm as early as you can. This Cowboys offense won’t go down without a fight. They have three talented receivers in CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup and Amari Cooper along with a running back who needs his touches in Ezekiel Elliott. This Tampa offense will be a tough test for the Cowboys defense looking to regroup. Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Scotty Miller, AB and Gronk? That’s a lot of firepower across the board for any defense to defend.
Prediction: Bucs 38 Cowboys 28
