It’s now officially official. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will host the Dallas Cowboys in the Wildcard round. They are the perfect opponent for the Buccaneers.
It’s no secret that the 2022 season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have not exactly gone as expected. Seen as potential Super Bowl favorites coming into the season, the Buccaneers ended the season with a record of 8-9. Still, that was good enough to host a playoff game thanks to the NFC South being a division that stinks on ice.
The roller coaster season the Bucs have had to this point would have them seen as an unlikely team to get out of the first round despite being at home and despite having Tom Brady at quarterback
Fortunately, the Dallas Cowboys are the Buccaneers opponent.
Yes, the Cowboys are early favorites against the Bucs on Monday Night Football, which makes some sense considering the Bucs are only the third division winner in NFL history to have a losing record. However, momentum is real, especially in the NFL, and the Cowboys are the one team in the NFC with less of it than the Buccaneers.
It’s weird that the winner of the Bucs-Cowboys Wildcard game turns around and plays their divisional game on a short week right?
— Brandon Thornton (@BThornton_33) January 9, 2023
Sure, the Bucs are technically coming off of a loss, and haven’t been setting the world on’fire despite a string of wins. The same can be said for the Cowboys. The difference is, the Bucs were resting starters for the majority of the finale and the Cowboys played everybody. The Cowboys at full strength would end up getting completely dog-walked by the Washington Commanders to limp into the playoffs.
Legendary former Cowboys head coach Tom Landry once said that you always have to streak into the playoffs. While neither the Bucs nor the Cowboys are doing that, the Cowboys are coming off of an absolute mauling. They now have to face the GOAT of GOATs in Brady.
Unfortunately, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not exactly firing on all cylinders heading into the playoffs. Fortunately, they have the perfect opponent to hopefully kickoff a Cinderella-like playoff run.