Tom Brady, above, leads the Buccaneers to a last-minute comeback win over the Cowboys in the NFL season opener.
Defending champs beat Cowboys in Prescott’s return
TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady threw for 379 yards and four touchdowns, helping the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers kick off the NFL season with a mistake-filled 31-29 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night.
With seats in a NFL stadium filled to full capacity for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Ryan Succop won it with a 36-yard field goal with two seconds remaining. Brady set it up with a last-minute drive directed on the same field where the Bucs became the first team to play and win a Super Bowl in its home stadium seven months ago.
“There’s obviously a lot to clean up,” Brady said after completing 32 of 50 passes with two interceptions.
The Bucs, hoping to become the first team to repeat as champions since Brady led the 2003 and 2004 New England Patriots to consecutive titles, turned the ball over four times.
“We won,” the five-time Super Bowl MVP said, “but we know it was far from perfect.”
For Brady, a seven-time champion, it was the 300th regular-season start in a sparkling 22-year career — a record for a quarterback. The 44-year-old also joined Drew Brees as the only players to throw for 300-plus yards in a game 100 times.
Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Brown caught first-half touchdown passes, and the Bucs (1-0) extended their win streak to nine games dating to December. Brady’s second TD pass of the night to Gronkowski put the defending champs up 28-19. Succop’s field goal came after Greg Zuerlein put the Cowboys ahead with a 48-yarder with 1:24 to go.
“As I told our guys, I learned a long time ago we don’t learn anything more from losing than you do from almost losing; we’ve got a lot to learn,” Bucs coach Bruce Arians said. “Obviously not pleased with the start of the game. Loved the finish. Our guys are winners. They’re going to finish.”
Dak Prescott threw for
403 yards and three TDS for Dallas in his first game since suffering a severe ankle injury that ended his 2020 season after five games. The sixthyear pro didn’t play in the preseason after straining his right shoulder early in training camp, and limitations on his throwing weren’t lifted until about two weeks before the opener.
The Cowboys never have beaten Brady, who improved to 6-0 against them, with five of the victories coming during his historic 20-year run with New England.
But Prescott, with help from a revamped Dallas defense that forced a fumble and intercepted a pass that glanced off Leonard Fournette’s hands to set up a touchdown and field goal, pushed the defending champs to the limit before a mostly mask-less crowd of 65,566.
Ultimately, though, Brady made the Cowboys pay for kicking woes that contributed to Dallas only scoring 16 points in the opening half. In addition to missing a 31-yard field goal, Zuerlein had an extra point clank off the left upright in the second quarter.
Brown had five receptions for 121 yards, including a 43-yard TD before halftime. Godwin had nine catches for 105 yards but fumbled at the Cowboys 1 to stop a potential clinching drive before Prescott drove Dallas to Zuerlein’s go-ahead field goal.