On the surface, the season opener this year looks like it’ll be an easy win for Tampa. The defending Super Bowl champions with a home field advantage facing the Dallas Cowboys that went 6-10 last year. Of course, a lot can change in an off season. Dak Prescott’s gruesome ankle injury last season in week five put him in extensive physical therapy. Reports say that Prescott’s ankle is fine now, but that he is dealing with a slight discomfort in his shoulder. Rumor has it that he’ll be able to play come opening day, so there aren’t any big concerns with Dallas’s QB1.
Meanwhile, Tom Brady never seems to age. Over 20 years after he was drafted, and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down. With the Cowboys’ weak secondary and the Buccaneers’ electric receivers, the matchup doesn’t look great; not to mention the fact that Tampa has arguably the best defense in the leauge. However, it should still be a pretty high scoring game. Dallas has a great receiving core as well, and with Dak back in the game there’s no telling what will happen. Prescott also has yet to take a single snap in the preseason, because coach Mike McCarthy elected to rest him due to his shoulder strain. Fortunately, in a tweet from ProFootballTalk, Dak has announced that he is fully “ready to go”. This game will be a great way to get an idea for how the rest of the Cowboys’ season should go.
Another big issue is COVID. RG Zach Martin (fully vaccinated) tested positive for COVID just two days ago and is supposed to miss the season opener. Unless Martin can get two negative tests separated by 24 hours and no symptoms afterwards before Thursday, he won’t be playing. Martin is a HUGE part of Dallas’s offense, and Tampa’s defense is no joke. Cowboys second-year receiver CeeDee Lamb has just been moved from the COVID/Reserve list back on the roster. Hopefully Lamb is fully recovered so that Dallas can stretch out the difficult defense they are yet to face.
If Dallas plays well, perhaps they truly are Super Bowl contenders. After all, Tampa brought back every single starter from their Super Bowl winning roster last year. If not, it may just look to be another disappointing mediocre season for Cowboys fans.
