The Wild Card showdown between the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a game that will stick with fans for a while. The entire team as a whole performed outstanding and defeated Tom Brady for the first time in his career.
While I can go on and on about how the Cowboys' offense was impeccable, it's interesting that the defense only allowed 14 points against a quarterback that has won 7 Super Bowls.
Don't get me wrong, Dak Prescott had arguably the greatest quarterback performance I have ever seen. With four passing touchdowns, a rushing TD, and 305 passing yards, this man deserves an award for sure.
The Cowboys' defense went into the locker room at halftime knowing that they just accomplished something that hadn't been done since 2002; they shut out Tom Brady in the first half of a playoff game.
One of the big reasons they managed that is because of Jayron Kearse's interception against Brady in the endzone early in the second quarter. This was the beginning of the end for the Bucs' offense, as it seemed like Tom never recovered.
Jayron Kearse intercepts Brady in the end zone! #SuperWildCard
📺: #DALvsTB on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/HABicMhZeY pic.twitter.com/zb962ZcgGt— NFL (@NFL) January 17, 2023
Just before this heroic play by Kearse, a stat came on the screen describing how Tom Brady had not thrown an interception in the red zone since the 2020 season.
It seemed like a lot of streaks were broken on Monday, mostly stats that benefited the Cowboys.
Just before the half, a scary scene occurred for fans. It seemed that Micah Parsons was injured on the very last play of the half. While he limped off the field into the locker room, some fans feared he would not return for the rest of the game.
The second half started with Parsons back on the field and ready to go after Tom.
The defense in the second half seemed to be more tired than the first, however, this wouldn't matter too much as they would only let up six points in the 3rd quarter and eight points in the 4th.
When the game ended, I noticed so many positive signs with the defense, one of them being our secondary.
The Cowboys did an amazing job covering Tom Brady's passes and allowing only 35 completed passes out of 66. I saw so many blocked passes. The cornerbacks and safeties were on point for this game.
Another great improvement came from the defensive line.
While the defense only recorded 2 sacks, the main attraction was the amount of pressure put on Tom Brady. Every play it seemed like there was a Cowboys jersey in his face right before he threw the ball.
Mental awareness was a BIG reason for the victory. It was a subtle detail but our defenders not letting Tom Brady get in their heads was amazing.
I was so worried that the inevitable was to come during this game — Brady gives our players the death stare and they all fall into a deep dark spell under him. Everyone on defense did a great job of not letting Brady get into their heads.
They kept the important things important, winning the football game.
I am very proud of this Cowboys team.
This was a huge win that will be held in the hearts of many Cowboys fans who have suffered over the years. Welcome back Cowboys, welcome back.
