The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will host the Dallas Cowboys in the wild-card round on Monday for a spot in the NFC divisional round.
The Buccaneers had quite a roller-coaster regular season, and it all began in Dallas when they clinched a convincing double-digit win over the Cowboys in Week 1. Even as the Buccaneers strung together three different losing streaks and dealt with a multitude of injuries over the year, they still managed to repeat as NFC South champions.
The Buccaneers will meet a Cowboys team that also went through multiple highs and lows in the regular season. In the end, Dallas failed to successfully defend its NFC East title, as it finished in second place in the division with a 12-5 record.
For the reigning NFC South champions to secure a pivotal playoff win over Dallas, they must achieve each of these three feats.
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3. Mike Evans wins the expected duel vs. Trevon Diggs
Trevon Diggs did not have his best outing in the Cowboys' home loss to the Buccaneers in Week 1. He allowed three completions and one touchdown in coverage — all of which came against wide receiver Mike Evans.
For one, Evans hauled in a touchdown catch on a fade route against Diggs in the third quarter.
MIKE EVANS IS UNGUARDABLE 😱 @MikeEvans13_
📺: #TBvsDAL on NBC
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/xlZm1YHXQD pic.twitter.com/83xuYU6sMw— NFL (@NFL) September 12, 2022
Evans is expected to go up against Diggs for much of the upcoming wild-card clash. However, Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will have multiple options to help out Diggs, from sending double teams in Evans' way to mixing up the defense's coverages.
Nonetheless, Evans should once again get the last laugh over Diggs with a 100-plus receiving yards performance this Monday. From his sheer size to his keen speed in the open field, the four-time Pro Bowler should prove to be too much for the third-year defensive back.
Evans is set to not only square off with Diggs but also with a Cowboys secondary that is filled with formidable depth across the board.
“They're down at corner — they've got two guys injured that were some solid players,” Evans said during a press conference on Wednesday. “The backups are solid, we're watching more film on them. '26' [DaRon Bland] has made some plays. But when we're healthy, it doesn't matter who the DBs are. Hopefully, we get a lot of Cover-1 — you know I love that. And [Trevon] Diggs is a really good corner as well. He matched me in 2021 and the first game of the season, he was on me a little bit but not the whole game.”
2. Buccaneers shut down the Cowboys in the red zone
The Buccaneers defense will be in for the biggest test of its season on Monday.
The Cowboys offense notched a league-leading 71.4 percent red zone touchdown percentage in the regular season. From the involvement of its tight ends in the passing game to Tony Pollard's ability to put the finishing touches on lengthy drives with touchdown runs, Dallas was quite an unpredictable team to face when its offense reached the red zone.
On the other hand, Tampa Bay’s defense did not necessarily have its way in this area of the field over the regular season, as it ranked at 26th in the NFL in red zone touchdown percentage allowed with a 62.5 percent mark. However, the script should flip for the Devin White-led Buccaneers defense in the wild-card round. The NFC South powerhouse has what it takes to slow down the Cowboys’ high-octane offense in the red zone, and its success in the contest will hinge on the play from its linebackers group, as the unit will be called on to regularly drop back in coverage and complete crucial tackles.
For Buccaneers inside linebackers coach Larry Foote, he is well aware that his group will be in for a notable challenge against a well-rounded Cowboys offense.
“Well, they're running the ball — you see [Tony] Pollard starting to come into his own,” Foote said during a press conference on Wednesday. “No. 88 (CeeDee Lamb) is starting to rip the league up, you've got to know where he's at. Rough week for Dak [Prescott], but he's coming off of injury, but they've got weapons.
“They've got weapons and their line is getting healthy, so it's going to be a big test for us.”
1. Buccaneers lock up a spot in the divisional round with a victory over the Cowboys
Brady should move to an 8-0 record against the Cowboys by guiding Tampa Bay to an upset home win. The playoffs are a whole new ball game, and the Buccaneers can prove to the rest of the league that they must not be overlooked in this year’s postseason.
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