Dak Prescott’s 2021 message to Tom Brady comes full-circle before playoff matchup

The Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will lock horns in the first round of the playoffs. A trip to (likely) Philadelphia to play the No. 1 seed Eagles will be on the line, but Dallas’ top concern right now is taking care of Tom Brady.

Of course, the Cowboys have seen plenty of Brady in recent years. The media-made rivals have met twice over the last two seasons — once in Dallas and once in Tampa — and Brady’s Buccaneers won both fixtures.

So, yes, Dak Prescott and company will be looking to exercise some TB12 demons on (Super) Wild Card Weekend. That’s easier said than done, but Prescott has been chomping at the bit for another crack at the consensus greatest quarterback in NFL history.

During the team’s 2021 meeting, the Bucs came out on top in a 31-29 thriller; Prescott’s first game back from his devastating ankle injury.

After the game, Prescott and Brady met at midfield and Dallas’ QB had an audacious message for the seven-time Super Bowl champion.

That message has finally come full circle.

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The Buccaneers and Cowboys squared off to open the 2022 season, but that was a game to forget for Prescott and the entire Dallas team really.

Incredibly, the lopsided affair (Tampa won 19-3) was anything but an indication of what was to come this year for both sides, as the Buccaneers limped their way to the playoffs, while the Cowboys largely coasted to a 12-5 finish.

Prescott suffered a severe thumb injury in the game, but he was anything but sharp, completing 14-of-29 passes for 134 yards and an interception before exiting. While it’s never ideal to face Brady in the playoffs, you get the feeling Prescott’s been manifesting this exact scenario all year to get revenge on the GOAT.

Prescott is 0-2 against Brady’s Bucs in two tries, and Cowboys fans will be hoping the quarterback performs like he did in Week 1 of the 2021 campaign, when Dallas came up just short in a high-scoring affair in Tampa. In that game, Prescott did everything possible to win, going 42-of-58 for 403 yards and three TDs to one pick.

Let’s hope we get that version of Dak, and not the one who showed up Sunday against Washington. It’s possible the Cowboys weren’t giving maximum effort with the Eagles cleaning up against the Giants, but Prescott turned in an uncharacteristic haphazard performance in the loss. In fact, his 45.8 passer rating was the third-worst of his career and he was intercepted for the seventh game in a row.

If there’s one thing Cowboys fans know (and love) about Dak, though, it’s his ability to rebound from adversity and never shy away from a challenge.

He’ll get the chance to do both against Brady and the Bucs.

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