Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers attacks first for TD, then responds Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys

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22:41 ET

  • Jenna Laine

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    ESPN staff writer
    • He has covered the Buccaneers since 2009
    • He joined ESPN in 2016

  • Todd Archer

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    ESPN staff writer
    • Covered in the NFL since 1997, Cowboys since 2003
    • Previously covered Bengals and Dolphins
    • He lives in the Dallas area with his wife and two children

TAMPA, Florida – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quest to defend their Super Bowl LV title began Thursday night with a 5-yard touchdown attack by quarterback Tom Brady on great receiver Chris Godwin to put the Bucks 7-0 up the Dallas Cowboys with 5:27 remaining in the first quarter.

But, the cowboys had an answer.

One wouldn’t know it’s Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott’s first game in 11 months. In the team’s second unit, Prescott completed all seven passes to five different players, culminating in a 22-yard touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb, who outscored cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting with a double play. The Cowboys tied the game at 7-7.

In the Buccaneers’ first touchdown, with Godwin in motion moving throughout the lineup, Brady faked a pass to runner Leonard Fournette, before finding Godwin inside for a touchdown on a record that lasted 94 yards on nine plays.

It was Godwin’s 25th touchdown catch, tying Mike Williams in seventh place in Buccaneers history.

In the Cowboys’ first touchdown, Prescott found Michael Gallup three times; Tony Pollard twice and Blake Jarwin once as he rolled the Buccaneers defense before finding Lamb. The Cowboys faced not a third in the drive. With Zack Martin on the COVID roster, the Cowboys have not been afraid to attack the Tampa Bay defense despite not having their best offensive line player.

Prescott showed his arm with a bow to Gallup. He showed his legs with a quick finish to Gallup and a mechanic to Jarwin. The touchdown pass showed that he could also push the ball into the field without any problems.

Prescott’s first touchdown pass to Lamb was forced, and according to ESPN Stats & Information, none of Prescott’s nine touchdowns last season came when he was pressed.

Second quarter

One to six plays and 50 yards in the second quarter of the game, Brady found tight end Rob Gronkowski for a 2-yard touchdown with 9:48 in the first half.

The score put the Buccaneers on top of the Cowboys, 14-7.

Gronkowski’s first touchdown was the 87th touchdown of his 11-year career, tying him with Andre Reed for the 14th historic position.

Brady was running 12.11 miles per hour at the time of the throw of his pass, his third best time in throwing a touchdown pass in the last four seasons.

Prescott’s second touchdown pass on the night put the Cowboys between 16 and 14. The score came after Prescott showed his willingness to run, catching 7 yards in a fight to move the Tampa Bay 5 ball into his first attempt since he suffered this dislocation and a compound fracture of his right ankle last October.

On the next play, he got a small catch from Tyler Biadasz, but did not panic and found an alley for great receiver Amari Cooper for the score. For the second time in six starts of the opening day, Prescott has multiple touchdown passes. He beat the New York Giants in 2019 in Week 1 with a four-touchdown effort.

And with four minutes to go in the first half, Brady and the Bucs’ offense was not over.

Brady throws a 47-yard pass to Antonio Brown for a touchdown to put Tampa Bay 21-16. Brady’s throw had 45 aerial yards, marking his second most aerial yard in a touchdown with the Buccaneers.

The Buccaneers and Cowboys enter the half with Tampa Bay up, 21-16.

Third quarter

In a 13- and 72-yard play, the Cowboys added three points to the scoreboard when Greg Zuerlein scored a 21-yard field goal at 9:19 of the third quarter.

Dallas trails Tampa Bay, 21-19.

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