TAMPA, Florida – All the while, everyone associated with the Dallas Cowboys said they believed Dak Prescott would be Dak Prescott at the opening of the 2021 season.
Turns out they were right, but that wasn’t enough to beat Tom Brady and Super Bowl champion defender Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Cowboys lost 31-29 in a 36-yard field goal by Ryan Succop with two seconds to play Thursday night.
Given that it was Prescott’s first live action in 11 months after a dislocation and fracture consisting of his right ankle and a training field where he was limited by a latissimus muscle tensed in his right shoulder. , his game was amazing, if not very amazing.
A 31-yard, 11-yard and 11-yard finish against CeeDee Lamb in the two-minute warning put the Cowboys in position for Greg Zuerlein’s field goal with 1:24 to play from 48 yards, but Brady responded to Prescott’s greatness with his own greatness.
Prescott finished with 403 yards, equaling his maximum run in completes (42) and setting a maximum in attempts (58) to go with three touchdown passes and an interception. It was the eighth game in which he spent at least 400 yards in his career and the fourth in his last six starts.
Throwing so much might not be the best formula for the Cowboys. Prescott is now 4-11 when he throws 40 or more passes in a game.
At 5:54 pm ET, Prescott made his first appearance on the field, going through what is now a normal warm-up for the surgically repaired right ankle and his typical shoulder torsion exercises. During the pre-match warm-ups, one could not stand still, walking from side to side, giving joy to teammates while burning nervous energy.
Once the game started, he looked at how he did when he was healthy in 2020.
He tested a personal best of 32 passes in the first half. Only one quarterback threw more passes before the break last season: Kansas City boss Patrick Mahomes had 33 against the Buccaneers in Week 12. By the end of the third quarter, he had 47 passing attempts, most of the quarterbacks during three-quarters to a game from Aaron Rodgers in Week 7 against the 2016 Chicago Bears when Mike McCarthy was coaching the Green Bay Packers.
His first finish was 28 yards for Amari Cooper. After the Buccaneers took a 7-0 lead in a 94-yard drive, Prescott responded by completing all seven steps for 75 yards, culminating in a 22-yard touchdown pass to Lamb for a double move.
In the second quarter, he threw his first of two touchdown passes to Cooper, getting a pressure shot from Tyler Biadasz and quietly firing a pass to the pylon for Cooper. On the previous play, Prescott made his first run, winning 7 yards, in a broken play.
In the third play of the second half, Prescott proved he could still make a shot, being hit by Ndamukong Suh while completing a first pass to Cooper in a drive that ended in a field goal. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore called a quarterback for Prescott later in that unit, and was able to evade pressure from the Buccaneers.
He was fired only once a night, when the Cowboys did not have the best offensive line player, right guard Zack Martin, who is on the reserve list / COVID-19.
He had his first interception on the first day in six games when a deep throw to Lamb deflected Lamb’s hands into Carlton Davis ’hands.
To establish Zuerlein’s shot, Prescott overcame two penalties for his offensive line, found Lamb for his longest pass of the game, and hit Cooper for a 10-yard gain to place the Cowboys in goal field. .
In many ways, Prescott’s night reflected in 2020. He hit giant numbers, but the Cowboys still lost with the defense unable to protect the lead with Brady’s heroics.
In the first four full games, he attempted at least 39 passes. He threw 450, 472 and 502 yards in three straight games with eight touchdowns and three interceptions in weeks 2-4 before his season ended on October 11, 2020 against the New York Giants. He was about to throw more than 6,000 yards when he was injured.
He underwent two surgeries after being injured, endured hours of rehabilitation, signed a $ 160 million contract in March and dealt with constant questions about his shoulder after retiring from a July 28 practice. .
He answered all questions Thursday, even if he and the Cowboys never had any.