The Dallas Cowboys heard all the noise coming into Monday night.
After looking terrible in Week 18, many people thought they were bound for a first-round exit.
Also, not having won a road playoff game in 30 years gave the haters plenty of fuel this week.
But, the Cowboys answered the call with arguably their best performance of the season on Monday.
The Mike McCarthy Dallas Cowboys should be called the Curse Killers.
Can't win without the starting QB? They did.
Can't win in the playoffs at all? They did.
Can't win on grass? In blue jerseys? They did.
Can't beat Tom Brady? They did.
He deserves so much credit.
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) January 17, 2023
Plenty of credit should be given to head coach Mike McCarthy, who had his team fully locked in to play.
The 31-14 win was dominant from start to finish as the Cowboys were in control the whole game.
The best player on the football field Monday night was Dak Prescott.
No player took more criticism after their Week 18 loss, but Prescott bounced back in a big way here.
Have that same energy y’all had with @dak please!!!
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) January 17, 2023
Prescott put together one of the best performances in the Cowboys’ playoff history in this game.
He set the record for most consecutive completions with 11 in a playoff game and scored five total touchdowns.
This game shouldn’t change your perception of Dak. Because he’s been that dude all along.
— John Williams (@john9williams) January 17, 2023
Prescott deserves all the credit for his great game.
He played at an elite level, which he has done on many different occasions this year.
But, now the whole world got to see it with everything on the line.
Dak Prescott showed tonight that he is a guy you WIN BECAUSE OF, not just a guy you win with. PUT SOME RESPECT on his name.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) January 17, 2023
Defensive Dominance
Dallas’ defense deserves plenty of credit for not letting Tom Brady get into any rhythm.
The most impactful player on their defense was once again Micah Parsons, who was dominant in this game.
Micah Parsons : 3 tackles, 2 for loss, 2 pass breakups, a sack, 2 QB hits & 9 pressures
Johnathan Hankins : 2 tackles & a sack pic.twitter.com/Vdfj3oR8Bl— Lee Harvey (@MusikFan4Life) January 17, 2023
He made the night miserable for Brady as he was forced off his spot all night.
Also, Jayron Kearse flipped the momentum when he intercepted Brady in the end zone.
From that point on, the Bucs were never in the game again.
Everything was working for the Cowboys, except their kicking.
Brett Maher had a forgettable night, missing four extra points in a row, which was shocking.
According to Elias, Brett Maher is the only player in any NFL game since 1932 to miss four extra points in one game, regular-season or playoffs. So there’s that.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) January 17, 2023
All in all, this was a dominant performance from the Cowboys.
Now they head to San Francisco to play the 49ers in the NFC Divisional round.
