Here are some instant takeaways from the Bucs’ win Sunday night:
Why the Buccaneers won
It wasn’t because they stayed healthy, that’s for sure. Even with starting left tackle Donovan Smith and No. 1 receiver Chris Godwin out early with injuries, Brady and the Bucks were very effective with the ball in their hands, making up for early red-zone woes by spreading the ball to the bigs their men — both Mike Evans and newcomer Julio Jones created space downfield — and fed Fournette, who had the backfield nearly 130 yards on 21 carries. Todd Bowles’ defense, meanwhile, had its way all night even without offensive blitzing. Shaq Barrett and Devin White disrupted the pocket multiple times and Antoine Winfield Jr. he easily ran over an errant Prescott pass. In the end, all the Bucs had to do was keep everything in front of them, but let the Cowboys trip over them.
Why the Cowboys lost
Their offense, the debut of a shuffled receiving corps and offensive line, was as out of sync as it’s ever been under Mike McCarthy and Kellen Moore. Without solid protection or reliable targets, Prescott walked in Aaron Rodgers’ Week 1 shoes, forcing or misfiring or throwing throws while desperate to spark the passing game, eventually exiting in minutes because he took too many hits on the arm. CeeDee Lamb had just two catches in the final quarter, while reserves like Noah Brown and Dennis Houston struggled to replace absent regulars like Michael Gallup. It was ugly all around. Defensively, Micah Parsons had his typical dominant flashes and Donovan Wilson had a fumble from Brady, but even Trevon Diggs couldn’t slow down the Bucks’ top wideouts when it mattered most.
Turning point
By the time Brady found Evans for a 5-yard touchdown on a fade pass with just over three minutes left in the third, neither team had reached the end zone. That score, however, with Evans easily separated from Diggs while initially fielding the ball with one hand, put Tampa Bay ahead 19-3 and effectively sealed the game on a night when Dallas was ill-equipped to answer. .
The game of the game
Who knew the 33-year-old Jones would be responsible for the Bucs’ most explosive passing play of the night? But give the Falcons’ longtime star credit for showing not only remaining deep speed but impressive hands on the second-quarter bomb that set up a 12-3 Bucs lead:
What’s next
The Buccaneers (1-0) will hit the road in Week 2 for an NFC South clash with the Saints (1-0), who came back to beat the Falcons on Sunday. The Cowboys (0-1), meanwhile, will return home as the NFC East’s lone winless team and host the Bengals (0-1), who are coming off an overtime loss to the Steelers. And they may or may not do it without Prescott.
