The Dallas Cowboys kick off their season on Sunday Night Football against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
These two teams met in the season opener last year which saw the Bucs win on a game-winning field goal.
Now this game will be played in Arlington, Texas at AT&T stadium.
The Cowboys have not had any success against Brady in his career.
As he has a perfect 6-0 record against the Cowboys.
But, this year seems like a good time for Dallas to end that drought.
Here are three things the Cowboys must do if they are going to defeat Brady and the Buccaneers.
Pressure Brady
Getting to Brady and bringing him to the ground is easier said than done.
The 45-year-old QB has always operated in a short/intermediate passing offense which makes him difficult to sack.
But, this season the Bucs seem to have a worse offensive line.
Tampa is expected to start a rookie at left guard and a backup at center.
Those are the areas that the Cowboys’ defensive line must exploit.
Dallas has a good defensive front featured by Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence.
Players with 75+ tackles, 20+ TFL, and 10+ sacks last season…
• Micah Parsons pic.twitter.com/1DdelwlDa7
— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) April 1, 2022
Parsons has a chance to be the best defensive player in the league and he showed that in his rookie year.
Getting after Brady has always been the biggest key for any team that wants to beat him.
Last year, Brady was 24th in the league in under pressure accuracy rating.
Also, he was 17th in pressured catchable pass rate.
With Brady being immobile, it makes things very hard on him when the defense gets a good rush.
Win The Turnover Battle
Last year, no team was better at taking the ball away than the Cowboys.
They led the league in interceptions with 26 and had the best turnover differential in the NFL at +14.
A large part of that was the breakout of cornerback Trevon Diggs, who led the NFL in interceptions.
Now Diggs and the rest of the defense must have similar success taking the ball away this year.
The more opportunities the Dallas defense can give to their offense will be crucial.
If Dallas can get out to an early lead on the Bucs that will force Brady to throw more and give the Cowboys more chances to hit him.
Dallas had a good game plan going into this matchup last season, but their defense could not get the last stop.
Winning the turnover battle does not guarantee team success, but more often than not it is a good indicator.
Be Creative On Offense
Running the ball up the middle is not a successful way to defeat this Buccaneers team.
They have too many good defensive linemen and are consistently among the best teams in the league in run defense.
So the Cowboys and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore must be creative with their game plan.
Last year against Tampa, Dallas threw the ball 58 times and ran it only 18.
But, they used short passes and the screen game to get the ball to their best playmakers in open space.
They will have to do that again in this game.
Look for running back, Tony Pollard, to have a big role out of the backfield and be heavily involved in the offense.
Also, the Cowboys must find a way to get WR1 CeeDee Lamb, the ball early and often.
CEEDEE TEEDEE. #DallasCowboys
📺: #DALvsTB on NBC
📱: https://t.co/0VSAGL68p0 pic.twitter.com/DUDQUdedQD— NFL (@NFL) September 10, 2021
He is their best offensive player and the more ways he can get the ball the better.
Dallas will have to be smart and methodical with their drives to keep the ball out of Brady’s hands.
If they are successful in that they have a good chance of finally ending the drought against Brady-led teams.
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