The Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will square up on Jan. 16 in the first Monday Night Football slate of this year's NFL playoffs. The Buccaneers had a bumpy regular season, but were able to sneak into the playoffs after winning the NFC South. The Cowboys finished 12-5; not quite good enough to surpass the Philadelphia Eagles for NFC East supremacy, but good enough to give them confidence that they can take down a once nearly unbeatable Tom Brady. It's a rematch of the opening game of the season that saw Tampa Bay go into Dallas and emerge with a 19-3 victory. Dalton Schultz has been injury-prone for the Cowboys this season, but the tight end could be in for a busy day on Monday.
It is extremely difficult to beat the same team twice in one season in the NFL, but both teams are much different than they were at the beginning of the season. The case could be made that Dallas was a better team than they have been down the stretch. For the Buccaneers, their offense has muddled through the regular season but has shown signs of life when they are at full strength. The Bucs have also dealt with a myriad of injuries this season and hope to return a lot of those players this week.
Dak Prescott and the Cowboys will be looking for a different result than Week 1 when the two teams dance on Jan. 16. Although Dallas are the slight favorites in Monday night's game, we all know you can never count Tom Brady out in the playoffs. Although the Cowboys are deep at running back with two more than capable rushers and a plethora of receiving options including CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup, there could be another important factor for the Cowboys if they hope to win this game.
With most of the Bucs' defense focused on the one-two punch of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, along with capable receivers including Lamb, Gallup, T.Y. Hilton and Noah Brown, it could open up more space for one of Prescott's favorite receivers: Dalton Schultz. If the Cowboys end up beating the Buccaneers on Monday night, look for Schultz to be extremely involved in the offense, and he's our Dallas Cowboys X-Factor for the Wild Card Round.
Cowboys X-Factor vs. Buccaneers: Dalton Schultz
Dalton Schultz has struggled to stay healthy for the Cowboys this season, but when he has taken the field, he's been one of Prescott's top receivers in the passing game. Now fully healthy, the tight end could be in for a stellar offensive output on Monday night, and it might be smart for coach Mike McCarthy and company to consider Schultz early, especially to help but Prescott out of his mini slump.
Schultz set career highs in nearly every offensive category in 2021, but a nagging knee injury slowed his production slightly this year. However, he finished the season with a handful of strong performances, including a ten-catch, 56-yard outing during Dallas' victory over the Tennessee Titans in Week 17. He scored two touchdowns in the win, and the 26-year-old followed it up with a four-catch, 33-yard outing in the season finale against the Washington Commanders.
The tight end will look to match or exceed his production from the teams' Week 1 meeting, when he turned nine targets into seven catches for 62 yards. The Bucs have been about average at defending tight ends this season; they rank 14th in the NFL in that category, allowing four touchdowns. Schultz will immediately present a matchup problem for Tampa Bay's starting safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and veteran Logan Ryan.
The 6-foot-5, 244-pound tight end is best when utilizing the intermediate area of the field, especially against teams that struggle to defend it. He's fantastic at finding space sitting down in soft zones, as well as utilizing flat combinations. The Buccaneers will attempt to neutralize the middle of the field by taking away slot targets underneath, and Schultz is excellent at finding room to operate in catch-and-run situations over the middle.
Another thing going for Schultz as a potential X-Factor is his ability to torch the middle of the field and find a deficiency in opposing team's secondaries. With star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb often drawing attention from opposing perimeter corners, as well as Michael Gallup and T.Y. Hilton commanding attention from slot corners and safeties, it opens up the middle of the field for Schultz to make plays.
Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys would be smart to utilize Schultz in this fashion, as well as in short-yardage scoring situations, where he has thrived in the past. And, of course, as a notable weapon in the red zone. With Dak's shaky play as of late, it might be a confidence boost for the signal-caller to find Schultz for some short and easy completions early in the game, which would give both players some confidence.
For those reasons, Dalton Schultz figures to be an X-Factor for the Cowboys on Monday night, especially if Prescott can find his form in the contest. One thing is for sure: a matchup against Tom Brady and the Bucs in Florida will be a salivating prospect for football fans, and it figures to be an intriguing contest from start to finish.
Schultz and the Cowboys will kickoff against Brady and the Buccaneers shortly after 8:15 EST on Monday night at Raymond James Stadium.
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