Cowboys vs. Buccaneers: How to watch, stream NFL playoffs Wild Card Weekend
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9) and the Dallas Cowboys (12-5) will close out the National Football League's Wild Card Round on Monday with two quarterbacks who have yet to play at their best this season.
Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady had one of the worst years of his career. After retiring and announcing he would come back to play in the span of 40 days in the off-season, the 45-year-old signal caller looked mortal during his first losing season as a starter, netting career lows in touchdown percentage and ESPN's QBR.
Brady and the Bucs found a way to win the lowly NFC South, however, and sneak into the playoffs one more time, but this team hardly resembled the one that won it all a couple years ago during the regular season. If they have dreams of doing it again, they will have to rely on names like star receiving duo Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, who combined for 2,147 yards and nine touchdowns.
It was the defence - led by linebacker Lavonte David - that kept Tampa Bay afloat throughout the season, finishing ninth in yards allowed in Todd Bowles' first year as head coach. David finished with 124 tackles, his highest mark since 2015, to go along with three sacks, one forced fumble and five passes defended.
On the other side will be a struggling Dak Prescott, who threw a career-high 15 interceptions in the regular season after missing four games with a hand injury earlier in the year. The 29-year-old is also trying to improve on a disappointing playoff record, winning only one of his four appearances so far, falling short of the expectations for a player who signed a four-year, $160 million contract before the 2021 season.
Despite a down-season from their quarterback, Mike McCarthy's team stayed in the run for the NFC East title against the Philadelphia Eagles until Week 18, when a surprising 26-6 loss to the Washington Commanders knocked them to the fifth seed. A good reason for that was a defensive unit led by star linebacker Micah Parsons, who finished the season with 13.5 sacks.
It has been a long time since both teams met in the playoffs, with the Cowboys knocking the Buccaneers out of the postseason in back-to-back years in 1981-1982 by a combined 68-17 score.
How to watch Cowboys vs. Buccaneers
You can watch Cowboys vs. Buccaneers LIVE on TSN2/4, TSN.ca, and the TSN App.
When: Monday, Jan. 16.
Main Coverage: 8:15 p.m. ET/5:15 p.m. PT.
Where to watch: CTV, TSN2/4, TSN.ca, and the TSN App.
Full broadcast schedule can be found here.
Odds for Cowboys vs. Buccaneers
Opening lines, per FanDuel:
Cowboys: -146
Buccaneers: +126