3 reasons the Cowboys will beat Tampa Bay in the Wild Card Round
By Randy Gurzi
1. Dak Prescott needs this one
We can sit here all day and play the blame game when it comes to the interceptions Dak Prescott threw in 2022, but the fact is this — leading the league in picks despite missing five games isn’t good.
There were several that did bounce off the hands of the intended targets and there were also issues with their current stable of receivers creating separation. Even so, there were just as many head-scratching passes that ended up in the hands of the opposing team. Those turnovers led to even more scrutiny on Prescott, which is saying something since he’s spent his entire career under a microscope.
For whatever reason, Prescott seems to be unable to win over his harshest critics. He’s a former fourth-round pick that became an instant starter, won the NFL Rookie of the Year Award in 2016, and has a 61-36 overall record. Still, he gets treated as if he’s a No. 1 overall pick that failed to live up to expectations and has never had a winning season.
There’s only one way Prescott will stop the noise and that’s by defeating elite quarterbacks and doing so in the postseason. He has a shot this Monday night against Tom Brady, a game that he’s wanted for more than a year.
Prescott said after their loss to the Bucs in 2021 that they would see them again, and while it didn’t happen last year, it will now. Should they end up suffering a defeat, the hate for Prescott will be at an all-time high and he will have a hard time shaking off the “choke artist” label that will surely follow.
However, should he send Brady packing and help Dallas defeat him for the first time ever, it could help his image tremendously. He knows this, and will surely be on top of his game which will only help the Cowboys pull off a win.
