It is Day 40 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff. We are looking back at the 100 most iconic games in Dallas Cowboys history. The countdown will leads us right up to the opening game of 2026. Our look back doesn’t depend on just one criteria for our rankings. We take into consideration things like how big the game was for the organization, how memorable the game was, games that had unusual events take place, games that are a part of NFL lore, Cowboys firsts, and games where the Cowboys just plain
dominated. Variety is the spice of life and we have all different kind of Cowboys games to review. At the bottom, we’ll link each day of the countdown so you can go back and check out any you missed.
Oh yes, this is Day 40 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff, when we revisit one of the most complete playoff performances of the modern Cowboys era. Dallas went into Tampa Bay, dominated Tom Brady’s Buccaneers and put this one to bed in extraordinary fashion.
Monday, January 16, 2023 — 8:15 p.m. ET
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 31, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14
There was plenty of reason for Cowboys fans to feel nervous beforehand. Tampa Bay had beaten Dallas 19-3 in the season opener, a night that also ended with Dak Prescott suffering a fractured thumb. Brady had never lost to the Cowboys in seven previous meetings, and Dallas entered the playoffs after an ugly 26-6 defeat against Washington. Instead of carrying those concerns into Tampa, the Cowboys produced their sharpest game of the season.
The opening minutes were slow, with both offenses struggling to generate a first down. Dallas finally broke through on its third possession. Tony Pollard carried four times for 25 yards during an 80-yard drive, and Dak Prescott found Dalton Schultz for a 22-yard touchdown. Brett Maher missed the extra point, but the Cowboys had taken the first lead, 6-0.
Tampa Bay appeared ready to answer when Brady drove the Buccaneers to the Dallas five-yard line. On second-and-goal, however, he attempted to throw the ball away in the back of the end zone and instead found Jayron Kearse. The interception was Brady’s first in the red zone since 2019 and prevented Tampa Bay from changing the momentum.
Prescott then directed one of the defining drives of the night. Dallas traveled 80 yards in 15 plays while taking more than eight minutes off the clock. Facing fourth-and-goal from the one, Prescott kept the ball on a bootleg and walked around the left side for a touchdown. Maher missed again, but the lead had grown to 12-0.
The Cowboys struck once more before halftime. Prescott completed seven of nine passes on an 80-yard drive, escaped pressure and found Schultz for an 11-yard touchdown with 27 seconds remaining. Maher missed his third consecutive extra point, yet Dallas still went into the locker room ahead 18-0.
Nothing changed after halftime. Starting at their own 14, the Cowboys drove 86 yards in eight plays. Schultz made a juggling 26-yard reception, CeeDee Lamb added another 26-yard catch and Pollard broke an 18-yard run before Prescott found Michael Gallup for a two-yard touchdown. Maher’s fourth missed extra point left the score at 24-0, but the outcome was already becoming difficult to doubt, and so was Maher as the team’s kicker.
Brady finally put Tampa Bay on the board late in the third quarter with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Julio Jones, although the two-point attempt failed. Dallas responded immediately. Facing fourth-and-four at the Tampa Bay 18, Mike McCarthy kept the offense on the field and Prescott found Lamb completely uncovered for a touchdown. Maher finally converted the extra point, although some people were calling for the two-point attempt to keep him off the field.
The Buccaneers added a late Cameron Brate touchdown and successful two-point conversion, but the closing points did little more than reduce the final margin. Dallas had already controlled the game at the line of scrimmage, protected Prescott and prevented Brady from creating the type of comeback that defined his career.
This game belongs on the countdown because it ended several long-running Cowboys frustrations at once. Dallas earned its first victory over Brady, snapped an eight-game road playoff losing streak and secured its first postseason win away from home since beating San Francisco in the 1992 NFC Championship Game.
Interesting Facts About the Game
Brady announced on February 1, 2023, that he was retiring for good. That confirmed the loss to Dallas as the last game of his illustrious career.
Countdown To Kickoff by day:
100, 99, 98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 91, 90, 89, 88, 87, 86, 85, 84, 83, 82, 81, 80, 79, 78, 77, 76, 75, 74, 73, 72, 71, 70, 69, 68, 67, 66, 65, 64, 63, 62, 61, 60, 59, 58, 57,56, 55, 54, 53, 52, 51, 50, 49, 48, 47, 46, 45, 44, 43, 42, 41
