Sometimes it’s hard to tell if sports fans have short or really, very long memories. Or, when talking about and thinking about brave cat, Dak Prescott and Monday’s blockbuster wild card match, possibly both.
If football were linear there would be no conceivable reason why Tampa . Bay/dalas at Raymond James Stadium will be an option in the minds of many.
If, to put it simply, the main criterion for analyzing a team’s readiness for the knockout stages is that team’s total work during the regular season, then this is not a match at all. war, let alone a fair fight.
But the only thing that is linear about football is the markings on the pitch, the post-season period is a time when Captain Clear is on vacation and the perception of an 8-9 team playing against a 12-5 opponent draws some numbers. important thing.
Football fans are conditioned, either through awestruck observation or because their team’s hearts are broken because of him too often, to trust Tom Brady. Similarly – and Cowboys fans will object to this suggestion but also know it’s true – they tend to distrust Dallas, especially when it’s post-season, especially when they’re on the road. Street.
Tom Brady is the most dangerous person now more than ever in his career
Skip Bayless issues a warning to his Dallas Cowboys.
Brady and the Bucs may not have been here so easily, after a struggling season, and narrow escapes enough to honestly claim even 8-9 points should be earned. considered a bit flattering. However, the champion from two years ago has an unmistakable motivation behind it, which is where the piece of short-term memory comes in.
Just a glimpse of old Brady to bring back faith. When he makes three touches to the ball Mike Evans to lead a stir comeback against Carolina Panthersin what really is the NFC South decider in Week 17, it doesn’t feel out of place, even after all these weeks (months?) when he admits he hasn’t performed as he should.
Muscle memory to Brady is mental memory to the rest of us. A couple of eye-catching throws and our minds brought us back to a familiar point, one we expected Brady to win. Never before has a team of less than 500 people been more commonly predicted to enter the post-season, with many passing strong Tampa Bay, evidence supported by their Week 1 win over the Cowboys and thought they could match well against Philadelphia Eagles.
“He saw every defense,” Tampa Bay safe Ryan brand told Brady’s reporters. “He did this 20 years ago as a [young] Super Bowl champion quarterback. His preparation is his life experience. That is his life. He’s good in those moments because he’s good every day. If it was the best game, in football, I would choose Tom Brady as midfielder.”
For the Cowboys, there is another feeling, one that indicates the time has passed. They needed to find a new one, and quickly, or else another opportunity, another campaign, just flew by.
There isn’t much to like about Dallas’ final five performances of the year, and Prescott became very easy to intercept over the long haul, bringing his total to 15th for the season.
Much of the positivity of October and November, and even the first weeks, when hasty cooperation substituted for Prescott during his time out due to injury and did well, has now been dropped.
If Dallas turns the tables and moves into the next round, there will be some extra gratification and the feat will be accomplished at a pace that predicts widespread collapse.
“Dak has no legacy,” FS1’s Nick Wright said on “First Things First.” “Some people don’t have a legacy. He could theoretically start building a legacy after this season. But, for now, in the regular season and the knockouts, he’s the one. Kirk’s cousin with mattress ads.”
Who’s under more pressure than the Bucs: Dak Prescott or Mike McCarthy?
The Speak team analyzes the entry into the wild card game with Tampa Bay.
Prescott, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and head coach Mike McCarthy arrived with some legitimate pressure. Another post-season outburst will see heavy blame fall on the shoulders of all three.
Even now, it’s amazing how quickly the story of the Cowboys changes. The defense is still determined and has the ability to play big. Prescott’s goals, especially CeeDee Lambreally elite.
But Dallas looks uncertain, and Prescott will need to improve on his recent form to have a chance to avoid seeing his career post-season record drop to 1-4. . Maybe it was just a temporary hit, as the Cowboys rushed to the finish line after they secured a spot in the knockout stages. Maybe it’s the stain of recent history that obscures the picture. Or maybe the suspicions are well-founded.
How are we even talking about such things? Why, after one of the best seasons in recent memory, are the Cowboys entering post-season with a feeling of gloom?
And when was the last time two teams with a 4-game difference met in the knockout stages, but the team with the lower record skipped the New Year, while the other team seemed to have everything, suddenly, against it?
Hmm… can’t remember.
Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and Sign up for the daily newsletter.
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