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The Dallas Cowboys are gearing up for their Wild Card playoff battle against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night. After a solid season that saw them claim the fifth seed in the NFC, the Cowboys will look to fare better this year than they did in last season's brief playoff showing.
Of course, the Cowboys lost in heartbreaking fashion last season against the 49ers after time expired before they could attempt a final play. They'll be hoping to have put their clock management issues behind them in 2023, but they'll certainly be put to the test against Tom Brady and the Bucs.
The Cowboys haven't played their best football of late. Dak Prescott is turning the ball over far too frequently and Dallas suffered some ugly losses against the Commanders and Jaguars in recent weeks. They also barely scraped by with a 27-23 win over the Texans. With the team not playing at its best, there are a couple of glaring Cowboys issues that could be disastrous in the Wild Card Round against the Buccaneers.
With all that in mind, here are two Cowboys issues that could spell disaster vs. the Buccaneers in the 2023 NFL Playoffs Wild Card Round.
2. Cowboys' defense stays cold
The Dallas Cowboys were a top-five defense in terms of opponents points per game in 2022. Despite that, they have not looked like the same dominant unit over the past few weeks. In four of their last five games, the Cowboys have surrendered 26 or more points. That's way up from their full-season average of 20.1 points. With the defense struggling to keep opponents off the board, Tom Brady could be in line for a big bounce-back game.
The Buccaneers' offense, despite having plenty of weapons, has been lackluster in 2022. Tampa Bay averaged 18.4 points per game, which ranks 25th in football. Their biggest strength is their passing attack. The Buccaneers averaged the second-most passing yards per game in the 2022 season, and they'll likely lean heavily on Brady in Week 18. If the Cowboys passing defense, which has surrendered the ninth-most yards in the NFL over the past three weeks, can't keep Brady and the Bucs from progressing through the air, it could be a long night for in Dallas.
Micah Parsons will have to be at his best in the Cowboys' playoff opener, and the rest of the defense will need to follow his lead in order to slow down Brady and the Buccaneers in the postseason.
1. Dak Prescott's turnover woes continue
Is Dak Prescott the Dallas Cowboys' weakest link? The franchise quarterback has struggled since returning from injury. Since coming back in Week 7, Prescott has thrown a league-high 15 interceptions. He's the first player in NFL history to lead the league in interceptions despite missing five or more games, showcasing just how badly he's performed this season. While Jerry Jones continues to express confidence in Prescott ahead of the Wild Card round, the on-field results are plain to see.
Prescott has thrown at least one interception in all but two games this season. He's not thrown a clean game since Week 11 against the Vikings, and has thrown 2+ interceptions in four of his last seven games, and five of his last nine. In short, Dak Prescott has a major interception problem right now, and that could spell trouble for the Cowboys in the playoffs.
The Buccaneers averaged more than one takeaway per game during the regular season, but that number is up to 2.3 per game over the past three weeks. In their first meeting against Prescott and the Cowboys back in Week 1, the Buccaneers forced one interception from Prescott, who completed fewer than 50 percent of his pass attempts (14-for-29) for just 134 yards before exiting with an injury in the loss.
If Prescott can't figure out a way to keep the turnovers to a minimum, the Cowboys' offense could be in for a long night against the Buccaneers. Tampa already got the upper hand in their first meeting, and if Prescott isn't careful with the ball on Monday night, it could cause the downfall of the Cowboys' season.
