Preview and Pick for Cowboys at Bucs

Tom Brady doesn't necessarily continue to dazzle, but anyone still playing quarterback in the NFL at age 45 has to amaze some people. BetOnline patrons may want to argue as to whether he is out of miracles, but there are still some things he is doing at a high level., And if he can do some of those things on Monday night, his Tampa Bay Buccaneers may just be able to survive their Wild Card round playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys.

That kicks off at 8:15 PM ET on Monday night, televised by ESPN.

Naturally there is speculation as to whether this is going to be the last season Brady is in a Tampa Bay uniform. The 8-9 record is an indication that change in the organization is required, and there are other situations around the league that could probably improve with the benefit of his services.

No, Brady has not had the best season of his career. But at age 45, he has not slowed to a crawl. In fact, TB12 has led the NFL in attempts and completions, and he had more passing yards than any other NFC quarterback.

However, that did not necessarily make for an offensive juggernaut. Truth be told, the Bucs were only 25th in the league in scoring (18.4 ppg) and yards per play (5.1). And one of the reasons for it is that Tampa Bay doesn't have anything resembling a balanced offense. They run the ball just 33.3% of the time, averaging just 3.4 yards per carry. Both of those figures are dead last in the league. Brady has simply sought to take things into his own hands.

So we are not going to play "make believe" with the idea that the Buccaneers might try to "establish the run" or any other cliche-ridden nonsense. They will sink or swim on Brady's arm.

And for most of the season that arm could be depended on to avoid turnovers. Brady has just one interception in the season's first nine games. But he wound up throwing nine picks, with seven of those coming in his last six starts.

Of course, there have been spectacular efforts as well, like his 432 yards against Carolina in the NFC South-clinching game, which features three long TD's to Mike Evans.

And as long as that connection is still strong, and Brady can continue to show a penchant for taking his team on late-game comeback journeys, the Bucs can't be completely written off.

In the NFL playoff odds posted on this game by the folks at BetOnline, the Buccaneers are underdogs at Raymond James Stadium:

Dallas Cowboys -2.5 (-115)
Tampa Bay Bucs +2.5 (-105)

Over 45.5 Points -110
Under 45.5 Points -110

Clearly one of the objectives for Tampa Bay is to keep Brady upright; that is a legitimate concern with the Cowboys having the second-highest sack percentage in the league, with the omnipresent Micah Parsons leading the way. The Bucs appear to be very well-equipped in this area, however, as they allowed Brady to be sacked only 22 times, creating the best "sacked" percentage of any offensive line.

Dallas is a better-balanced offense, as they run the ball 47.7% of the time with standouts Ezekiel Elliott and newly-minted Pro Bowler Tony Pollard. But while the Buccaneers have, by and large, enjoyed solid "ball security" from Brady, the carelessness of Dak Prescott has to be a big worry. Prescott missed five games this season and he STILL is tied for the league lead in interceptions (15). He suffered the first of those in the season opener, when he went 14 of 29 for 134 yards in a 19-3 loss to these Bucs. To add injury to the insult, he had to leave the game with a broken thumb.

Yes, Tampa Bay really handcuffed the Cowboys that night. They held Dallas to 244 yards, and even ran for 152 yards. We don't expect that to happen again. And we are well aware that the Buccaneers (allowing 4.5 ypc) don't defend the run nearly as well as they did during their Super Bowl-winning season.

Ultimately, you're looking at a quarterback (Prescott) who has thrown three pick-sixes in the last four games, and has no documented record of success in the post-season, going against a counterpart (Brady) who may not be playing like the "G.O.A.T.," but has demonstrated an ability to bring an awful lot to the surface at this time of year, attacking a secondary that is without two standout corners (Anthony Brown, Jourdan Lewis) who are injured, Oh, and getting points at home to boot.

I like the underdog.

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