Cowboys studs and duds: Dak Prescott delivers in Wild Card win

The Dallas Cowboys finally got the monkey off their backs.

Dallas hadn’t won a playoff game on the road since 1992 but they were able to secure one on Monday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In addition to that stat, they were also 0-for-7 against Tom Brady including Week 1 in both 2021 and 2022.

It was a thorough beatdown as well with Dallas going up 24-0 at the half before winning 31-14 to advance to the second round of the NFL Playoffs. With their attention now on the San Francisco 49ers, we take some time to identify who stood out as studs and duds in the win.

Cowboys studs and duds from Wild Card win

Stud: Micah Parsons, Linebacker

Dallas couldn’t have started much worse on offense as they had three passes go through the hands of wide receivers on a three-and-out. But then on their first defensive series, Micah Parsons did what he could to change the momentum.

Tampa Bay’s first play was a handoff to Rachaad White who was stuffed for a three-yard loss as Parsons ran past the offensive line to make a play.

He continued to stand out on that drive as a third-and-10 saw him draw a flag on Donovan Smith for holding. The pass from Tom Brady was incomplete so the penalty was declined but even a first down on the pass wouldn’t have mattered thanks to Parsons.

The star linebacker played through to the end as he generating pressure even with the outcome decided.

Dud: Tyler Biadasz, Center

On third and seven during the Cowboys second drive, Vita Vea had his way with Tyler Biadasz. He pushed right past the starting center and sacked Dak Prescott for a nine-yard loss, forcing the second punt in as many drives for Dallas.

Outside of that play, the offensive line wasn’t bad. Prescott had time to throw and when there was any pressure, he found room to run. Still, this play was a rough one that could have set a bad tone early on.

Stud: Tony Pollard, Running Back

As has been the case throughout the season, Ezekiel Elliott got the start at running back and underwhelmed. Elliott ran a two-yard loss on his first attempt but once they gave him his rush, Tony Pollard was allowed to play.

Pollard immediately looked better as he had five yards on each of his first two runs. He then got the offense moving on their first scoring drive, going for 25 yards on four rushes before Prescott hit Dalton Schultz for a 22-yard touchdown.

Dallas continued to pour on the points and while they had over 300 yards passing, Pollard was the one who kept the defense honest. They could never truly sell out on the pass since he would gash them when given the chance.

Dud: Trevon Diggs, Cornerback

Trevon Diggs was matched up with Mike Evans for much of the night and while the defense as a whole was flying all over the place, he seemed uninterested at times — especially when it came to tackling.

Early in the game, Diggs missed a tackle on third and seven that would have forced a punt. On the same drive, he had a very uninspired tackle attempt on Mike Evans which allowed him to pick up another couple of yards after the catch.

Diggs never really turned it around. He wasn’t beaten terribly in the passing game but he just seemed off when it came to attacking the ball carrier.

Stud: Dalton Schultz, TE

With free agency pending, Dalton Schultz continues to make a case for a big contract. He was again a solid safety valve over the middle of the field for Dak Prescott and was on the receiving end of the first touchdown of the game.

Schultz was able to find a soft spot in between the linebacker and safety and Prescott laid it perfectly into his hands for a 22-yard score.

On their final drive before the half, Schultz advanced the ball to the 40 when he again found an opening in the seam and caught a 20-yard reception. For good measure, he capped that drive off with an 11-yard touchdown to give Dallas a three-score lead.

He ended up leading the team with 95 yards on seven receptions with two scores. He came up big every time he needed to and proved his worth on the biggest stage.

Dud: Brett Maher, Kicker

The Cowboys took a shot on Brett Maher this season and they weren’t disappointed. Maher, who struggled during his first stint in Dallas, hit on 90.6 percent of his field goals this season. The one hiccup was his three missed extra points, including the final one he tried in Week 18.

He really fell off in this one though as he missed as many kicks in the first half. Dallas had an 18-0 lead at intermission but it should have been 21-0 if not for Maher going wide on all three attempts.

Dallas scored again early in the third quarter and Maher’s woes continued. He ended up missing his fourth extra point of the night, this time hitting the top of the upright as it was just wide to the right. He did finally connect on his final attempt but this will go down as the worst game of his career.

Stud: Leighton Vander Esch, Linebacker

Leighton Vander Esch appeared to be on his way out in free agency but then re-signed with Dallas on a one-year deal. That proved to be a great move for both sides since he had his most impactful campaign since his rookie season in 2018.

LVE had 90 tackles and a sack but missed the past three games. He returned for the Wild Card game against Tampa Bay and led the team in tackles — but also made plays in the passing game.

Vander Esch broke up a pass near the goal line and also had a hit on Tom Brady that forced an incompletion then broke up another as the game was winding down. He was all over the field and stood out as arguably the best defender in this one.

Stud: Jayron Kearse, Safety

Jayron Kearse continues to be a leader on the Dallas defense and made a huge play to keep momentum on their side. In the first half with the score 6-0, Tamp Bay had a 14-play drive that put them at the five-yard line.

Then, Kearse ended the drive when he caught an errant pass from Tom Brady, which happened to be the first turnover inside the 10 for Brady since he joined Tampa Bay. Kearse added another pass defense helping to keep Brady and the Bucs offense off their game throughout the night.

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He was banged up during the game and the Cowboys are surely hoping he’s going to be able to go next weekend against San Francisco/=.

Stud: Dak Prescott, Quarterback

The first two drives were ugly. Dak Prescott and the Cowboys had back-to-back three-and-outs as they were struggling with the crowd noise and nerves seemed to be an issue.

Then on their third series, Prescott got rolling. He had a 15-yard pass to Michael Gallup and then a three-yarder to Noah Brown — which had 15 added for a roughing penalty. He capped that drive off with a touchdown pass to Dalton Schultz, giving them a 6-0 lead.

Prescott also used his legs, including the second touchdown of the night which came on a fourth-and-one. With Tampa Bay expecting a run up the middle, Prescott fooled them with the play fake and found a ton of running room to his left allowing him to walk in for the score.

That wasn’t his only great play on fourth down either. In the fourth quarter after Tampa Bay made it a 24-6 game, Prescott found CeeDee Lamb wide open on fourth and four for an 18-yard touchdown.

Prescott ended the night with 305 yards through the air and four touchdowns to go along with 24 yards on the ground and another touchdown. He also had no interceptions, which had been an issue for him this season.

There’s still a long way to go but Prescott played the best game of his career and silenced a few of his critics for at least this week.

Dud: John Fassel, Special Teams Coordinator

While Brett Maher was responsible for his issues, the Cowboys special teams as a whole had a night to forget. In addition to the missed extra points, they gave up an onside kick.

After the second Tampa Bay touchdown, Noah Brown bobbled the kick and the Bucs picked it back up. The defense forced a turnover on downs but it was the worst way to cap off a bad night for special teams.

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