The 2021 NFL season has finally arrived, and the stage is set for a Cowboys Buccaneers showdown in Tampa Bay. It will be “America’s Team” versus Tom Brady and the defending World Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and fans around the world will be watching.
On paper, based on their 2020 records, this is going to be a bit of a mismatch. Dallas finished the 2020 season with a 6-10 record and ended up third place in the worst division in football, the NFC East. The Cowboys subsequently missed the postseason for second consecutive year. Tampa Bay meanwhile, went 11-5, earned a wild-card berth as runners up in the NFC South, then went on to win the Super Bowl as they trounced Kansas City 31-9 in Super Bowl LV in February. In the All-Time regular season series between the Cowboys and Buccaneers, Dallas owns a 13-4 advantage and has won the last two meetings. The most recent meeting came in December of 2018 when the Cowboys won 27-20 at AT&T Stadium and clinched their last division title.
For Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, the health of his football team will play an important role in this his second season with the Cowboys. In Mike McCarthy’s first season as head coach, Dallas had a slew of injuries that impeded their chances for success. The Cowboys weren’t even able to compete in a the watered-down NFC East where no team had a winning record in 2020. Dallas struggled out of the gate last season thanks to historically bad defense and a banged up offensive line. Not only did the Cowboys lose their three best offensive linemen in Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, and La’el Collins, but they were forced to start a pair of undrafted free agents at both tackle spots in Terence Steele and Brandon Knight and those guys struggled mightily. Then, after Dak Prescott’s season ended, the wheels fell off completely and the Cowboys spiralled downward. While 2021 presents a clean slate, the offensive line issues are already beginning to mount up before the team has even played their first game. The Cowboys will likely be without Zack Martin (COVID-19) and may also be without La’el Collins (stinger). Not the news Cowboys fans wanted to hear right out the gate against a ferocious Tampa Bay front four.
Speaking of the Super Bowl Champions, they were already a very talented team on both sides of the ball before they made a change at quarterback last season. They moved on from former 1st overall pick Jameis Winston and turned the reins over to the GOAT Tom Brady. The ageless veteran fit right in and thanks in part to his leadership and experience, he led the Buccaneers to an improbable wild card run having to defeat the Washington Football Team, the New Orleans Saints, and the Green Bay Packers on the road to reach the Super Bowl. Then, in the Super Bowl, Tampa Bay managed to shut down Kansas City’s prolific offensive attack and win the Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history. If that is not intimidating enough for the Cowboys, the Buccaneers were able to bring back all 22 starters in their quest for a repeat.
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. HOW WILL DAK PRESCOTT HOLD UP IN HIS RETURN FROM A SERIOUS ANKLE INJURY?
As Dak Prescott goes, so do the Dallas Cowboys. Prescott, who suffered a shoulder strain in training camp, was shut down for the entire pre-season and didn’t get in any opportunities to wear off some potential rust or test his ankle in a real game setting. It will be interesting to see how he responds being thrown straight into the fire against a relentless Bucs defense. With Zach Martin likley out due to COVID-19 and possibly La’el Collins too, potential replacements Connor McGovern and Terence Steele will be tested by the Buc’s dominant defensive line. Look for Prescott to get rid of the ball quickly and try to find his talented wide receivers on short to intermediate routes. If the Cowboys can establish the pass early, then they can open up the run game. Getting out to an early lead and then allowing Ezekiel Elliott to run the ball in the third and fourth quarter and keep Tom Brady off the field is the ideal scenario. Trying to establish the run too early against a strong interior defensive line may result in the Cowboys having to rely too much on converting long third downs and put Prescott in harms way.
2. CAN THE COWBOYS DEFENSE CREATE TURNOVERS?
This has been an issue for the Cowboys for long time now. Even since the early days of the Rod Marinelli era. The Cowboys invested heavily on the defensive side of the ball in the 2021 draft and they kept every single draft pick on their roster. The selection of Micah Parson’s in the first round was not a popular choice among Cowboys fans but he is showing potential to be a legitimate star at linebacker. Parson’s has natural pass rush ability in his tool box and hopefully he is able to disrupt Tom Brady in the pocket. The Cowboys will need to generate some pressure with their defensive line against a very good Tampa Bay offensive front. If they can create some pressure, perhaps the young and inexperienced Cowboys secondary can take advantage and get a turnover or two. If the Cowboys fail to get after Brady, their young secondary will have their hands full with Tampa Bay’s receiving corps.
3. WILL THE COWBOYS OVERCOME THEIR STRUGGLES IN THE REDZONE?
The last couple of seasons, as potent as the offense looked with Dak Prescott under center, the Cowboys were really hampered by their inability to score in the redzone. The Cowboys have been consistently able to move the ball on offense, but in order to win games in this league, they have to cash in on those scoring opportunities. Maybe Kellen Moore will get a little creative and dial up a trick play when the opportunity presents itself. Utilising some of their big bodied targets such as Noah Brown and Blake Jarwin, who is back after missing the entire 2020 season, would be an advisable strategy for the Cowboys in the redzone.
FINAL PREDICTION
I think the Cowboys defense under Dan Quinn is going to surprise a few people this year and having Dak Prescott back is going to be a major boost in morale for the team. The Buccaneers are a great team, but perhaps they will come out a little flat as a result of a Super Bowl hangover. I’ll take the Dallas Cowboys over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 season opener.
FINAL SCORE: DALLAS COWBOYS 31 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 24
