FRISCO, TEXAS — You’ll be waiting all day for a Sunday Night Football matchup between the Dallas Cowboys (6-8) and leaders of the NFC South, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6).
Tom’s last time out:
Quarterback Tom Brady retired a month after these two teams last met—in the NFC Wild Card round in 2023. That was back on Jan. 16; the Cowboys won 31-14 in Tampa Bay what will be 706 days ago, knocking the Buccaneers out of the 2022 NFL Playoffs. Back then, Brady’s last game of his NFL career; now, a game that Dallas desperately needs to win.
Playoff picture:
The Cowboys have won three of their last four games, but winning out their next three may not even be enough. What could be the end of a three years-straight run of making it to the playoffs is looming. Dallas is looking to finish the season 9-8, but their chances of making the post season are less than 1%, according to ESPN’s power index. It’s the worst chance of any team who hasn’t been eliminated from playoff contention yet. There are three weeks remaining in the regular season, and over 280 trillion ways it could finish. While it’s a small one, there is still a chance Dallas makes it; head coach Mike McCarthy saying, “we have to put ourselves in a position to get help” with a win on Sunday.
Baker’s been cooking:
QB Baker Mayfield had 288 yards and four touchdowns against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15. He’s the reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Week, and although he had one interception against Los Angeles, he’s also had a career-high 33 touchdown passes so far this season. As the lead of the NFL’s fourth-ranked passing attack, he poses a threat; but also, could be threatened by Dallas’ pass rush, which had six sacks against the Carolina Panthers last week.
Tampa Bay at a glance:
The Buccaneers are looking to win their first prime time game of the season on Sunday. They are a full game ahead of the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South, sitting in a comfortable position to claim the division title. With a run game that’s seen 150 yards or more in the last four games, and a convincing 40-17 over the Chargers a week ago, Tampa Bay’s four game winning streak has a lot of promise heading into the post season. They ran for 223 yards a week ago—running back Bucky Irving had 117 of them. Wide receiver Mike Evans finished last week with 159 yards and two TDs; WR Jalen McMillan had 75 yards and a TD too, now having had 59 or more yards and scoring two weeks in a row.
A look at the Cowboys:
Coming off a game holding the Panthers to 14 points last week, and scoring 30 of their own, Dallas has held two of its last three opponents to less than 21 points, including the New York Giants in Week 14. RB Rico Dowdle has had 100 or more yards in three-straight games, and rushed for 149 yards in Week 15.
