What We Learned from Kickoff Bucs vs Cowboys Game

 FOOTBALL IS OFFICIALLY BACK! One down, so many to go. The Buccaneers and Cowboys kicked off the regular season with their insane game that came down to the wire earlier tonight. It surely did not disappoint. We are going to get right into our thoughts of the game.

1. Tom Brady is still frickin Tom Brady

It's just beyond absurd at this point. Tom Brady is 44 years of age and is still playing football like he's in his late 20s. He simply gets better with age. There was just a sliver of me that thought, what if we finally see some regression out of Brady tonight. Imagine that. Nope. Brady was same old Brady. Commanding this offense from the get go, throwing darts from the pocket and leading the Bucs to a win. When Dallas hit the field goal to put them up 1 with a minute and change to go, everyone and their mother knew Brady was about to go lead the Bucs down the field for the win and that is exactly what happened. Brady finished the game with 379 passing yards along with 4 TD passes with 2 picks (to be fair, both unlucky). It's way too early to say anything, but is there a chance Tom Brady can win an MVP at age 44? Nothing is out of the question with him.

                                    2. These are not the same old Cowboys as usual

Despite the heart wrenching loss for Dallas, they have to be pretty proud of how they handled themselves against this Bucs squad. Coming into the game, the Bucs were obvious heavy favorites and the Cowboys gave them everything they could handle. Who knows, if Greg Zuerlein doesn't miss a few of those kicks, we could be talking about a very different end result here. They do start out 0-1, but man does this team have promise. The defense looked vastly improved with a better pass rush and linebacking core and a secondary that struggled at times but was still = better overall. This Cowboys offense also was much better than anticipated. CeeDee Lamb got a lot of hype this off-season for a potential huge second season, and that hype looks justified. Lamb was amazing. He hauled in 7 passes for 104 yards and a TD. These Cowboys have a real shot at winning a lot of games and this division. Before tonight, I didn't have Dallas as a playoff team in my predictions but after seeing how they handled themselves, I might have to already
admit I was wrong because this team looks playoff caliber.

3. Dak Prescott is BACK

One of the biggest question marks heading into this season for Dallas and especially this first game back was how would Dak Prescott play in his return from a major injury. One word, unfazed. Prescott came in and looked as if he was in mid-season form after not playing for 340 days. He made all the throws and was very patient in the pocket. Prescott threw for 403 yards and 3 TD passes to go with 1 INT. He might be a lock to lead the league in passing yards with this offense he has around him. CeeDee Lamb might be the shiny new breakout but Amari Cooper was also amazing and was clearly Dak's go to guy tonight. To the surprise of many, Ezekiel Elliott did not look like he benefitted from the return of Dak. Zeke looked a ton like he did last season, slow and bad. Elliott rushed for just 33 yards on 11 attempts. While this passing offense might be one of the best in the league this year, Dak and co will need to find out ho
w to reincorporate the once elite Ezekiel Elliott into the offense in a better way. 

4. The Buccaneers are still the NFC favorites

It doesn't look like there will be any Super Bowl hangover of any sort for these Buccaneers. The team returned firing on all cylinders and looked like the team that breezed through the playoffs last season. We talked about Brady's success tonight but lets dive into some other players. Rob Gronkowski looks like a new man. After a subpar debut season in Tampa, he started year 2 off with a bang with 90 yards receiving and 2 TDs. Antonio Brown also is looking young again as he went off for 121 yards receiving and a deep TD. Time and time again Chris Godwin made some crazy good grabs that kept the chains moving for the Bucs. He also eclipsed 100 yards receiving. The offensive line was blocking so well that Brady could play to his strengths in the pocket. On defense, the coverage was inconsistent but was good when it needed to be. The pass rush still looks elite and was led by Shaq Barrett who continues to prove he's an elite edge rusher in this league. In a back and forth battle, the Bucs outlasted Dallas on a game winning drive fueled by Brady and Godwin and finished off with a 36 yard field goal for the win from kicker Ryan Succop. Based off of this showing and the no quit in the Bucs, the road to the Super Bowl might run through Tampa Bay this season.