3 takeaways from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-29 victory over the Cowboys

3 Takeaways From the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-29 victory over the Cowboys : Tampa Bay’s road to repeating as Super Bowl champions began Thursday night against the Dallas Cowboys. The Bucs are coming off a dominant performance against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 55. Many NFL fans thought Tom Brady and company would walk away with a big win against the Cowboys.

Dak Prescott made his long-awaited return against one of the best defenses in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys offensive line entered Thursday night’s game without Zach Martin. Dallas remained strong without Martin, only surrendering one sack against Tampa Bay’s talented defensive front.

The Cowboys struggled to get the run game going against the Bucs. That led to Dak Prescott throwing the football 58 times. In his return, Prescott completed 42 of his 58 passes for 403 yards and three touchdowns.

Tom Brady also threw the football 50 times during the Thursday nights game. The Bucs veteran completed 32 of his 50 passes for 379 yards and four touchdowns. Prescott and Brady both threw interceptions on Thursday night.

The Cowboys fought until the end but left too much time on the clock for the GOAT. Brady led the Buccaneers on an 11 play drive capped off with a 36-yard game-winning field goal. Dallas and Tampa Bay set the bar high for the rest of the NFL.

Both the Cowboys and Buccaneers left three takeaways from their game on Thursday night. Let’s take a look.

What are the three takeaways from the Buccaneers’ victory over the Cowboys?

Tom Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Week 1 victory over the Cowboys

#1 Dallas and Tampa Bay struggled on the ground

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys failed to rush for a touchdown during Thursday night’s game. Tampa Bay running backs rushed for 52 yards on 14 carries against the Cowboys’ defense. Dallas rushed for 60 yards on 18 carries against arguably the best defensive front in the NFL.

Ezekiel Elliott and Leonard Fournette both struggled. Elliott rushed for 33 yards on 11 carries, and Fournette rushed nine times for 32 yards. Playoff Lenny and Zeke need to improve their rushing totals to help their teams make a deep playoff run.

#2 Dallas Cowboys need Dak Prescott at QB to compete

The Cowboys are a different team with Prescott at quarterback. Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb both put together great performances on Thursday night. Cooper caught 13 passes for 139 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Lamb followed up Cooper’s performance by catching seven passes for 104 yards and a touchdown.

Dallas looked like a new team Thursday night. The Cowboys had their leader back, and it showed. Prescott kept the Dallas Cowboys in the game and almost pulled off the upset.

If the Cowboys want to win the NFC East and make a run in the playoffs, they need Prescott on the field. His presence in the huddle brings a different type of confidence.

#3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers road to repeating as Super Bowl Champs isn’t going to be easy

Tom Brady is chasing his eighth Super Bowl ring. That isn’t going to be an easy task. It’s going to take a lot for the Buccaneers to even repeat as the NFC Champions.

Last season, the Buccaneers had to compete with the Saints and Packers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Now, Tampa Bay will have the Giants, Cowboys, Rams, Packers, and Seahawks. The NFC has improved a lot, and that brings a challenge to Brady and the Bucs.

If the Buccaneers can make it through the NFC gauntlet, they’ll still have to meet a solid AFC team. With Aaron Rodgers potentially playing his final season in Green Bay, the Packers will be the biggest threat to the Buccaneers. Tom Brady may have his most challenging road to a Super Bowl championship in 2021.