It was one of the most anticipated games of the first week of activity in the NFL: Tom Brady and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers who were in Dallas to face the Cowboys, holders of the best offense in the NFL in 2021.
Posted at 12:11 a.m.
But rather than an offensive festival, we were treated to a soporific spectacle in which there was only one touchdown. The Buccaneers’ 19-3 victory will soon be forgotten.
Brady is far from having played a great game, but was superior to Dak Prescott, who completed less than half of his passes (14 for 25) for a modest total of 134 yards. Prescott’s tough night got worse in the final minutes of the game when he injured his right hand thumb. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones announced that Prescott would have to undergo surgery and that he would miss several weeks of play. Tough blow for the Boys.
It is therefore Cooper Rush who will take over from Prescott. And as had to do this last Sunday evening, Rush will have to deal with a particularly anemic group of receivers. Michael Gallup and James Washington would normally be the second and third wide receiver behind CeeDee Lamb, but both receivers are nursing injuries and will miss another few weeks.
Playing behind a few inexperienced linemen, Brady managed the game well and kept the Bucs in control throughout the game.
The Buccaneers’ first five series ended in field goal attempts, as Ryan Succop delivered four times. From the way the Cowboys offense was playing, even with a 12-3 lead, it felt like the Bucs already had the win in their pocket.
Brady completed 18 of 27 passes for 212 yards, one touchdown and one interception. At 45, he became the oldest starting quarterback in NFL history, surpassing Steve DeBerg, who was 44 years and 279 days old when he got his last start with the Falcons. Atlanta in 1998.
“I’ve been the oldest in football for a long time,” Brady told NBC reporter Melissa Stark. “It’s a win to start the season, but our offense will have to play a lot better. I threw a really bad interception and I can definitely do better. »
Mike Evans made a great catch for the Bucs middle finger and newcomer Julio Jones contributed 86 yards. Jones has looked a little more like the dominant receiver he was in his prime years with the Atlanta Falcons than he did last year with the Tennessee Titans. There may still be some fuel left in the tank.
However, it was Leonard Fournette who was the key player for the Buccaneers. The running back had 127 yards on 21 carries (average of 6) and served up some nice blocks in pass protection, a particularly important element at the moment for the Bucs.
Already having to play without its regular center, Ryan Jensen, the Buccaneers offensive line lost another important piece on Sunday night. Left tackle Donovan Smith left the game with an elbow injury.
The unit struggled in the minutes after Smith’s loss, which didn’t make Brady happy, falling victim to two sacks at the hands of 2021’s top defensive rookie of 2021, Micah Parsons. Brady yelled at one of his linemen as only he knows how to do… Then everything seemed to be back to normal.
Even in his mid-forties, Brady’s thirst for victory has still not been quenched. She never will.