FOURTH QUARTER: Bucs win 31-29
:02 – Buccaneers take the lead again with a 36-yard field goal.
:21 – Brady puts the Bucs in field goal range with a throw to Godwin.
1:29 – The Cowboys kick a field goal to take the lead 29-28.
4:52 – Godwin fumbles the football near the goal line and the Cowboys recover it. The Buccaneers have four turnovers in this game
THIRD QUARTER: 28-26 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
:33 – Prescott to Cooper for a 21 yard touchdown
28-26 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6:23 – Brady to Gronkowski for their second touchdown of the game
28-19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
8:31 – Davis intercepts Prescott
9:15 – the Cowboys kick a 21 yard field goal to inch closer to the Buccaneers on the scoreboard
21-19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
SECOND QUARTER: 21-16 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
:06 – Brady throws the deep ball into the end zone and it is intercepted
:15 – the Cowboys miss a 60 yard field goal
1:11 – Shaquil Barrett sacks Prescott
2:38 – Brady to Antonio Brown for the 47 yard touchdown
21-16 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3:16 – the Cowboys kick a filed goal to take the lead in this game
16-14 Dallas Cowboys
4:08 – Brady throws the football to Fournette. He tips it and, then, the Cowboys intercept it. The Buccaneers offense has had back to back turnovers in this second quarter
4:20 – the Cowboys score a touchdown but they miss the extra point. Prescott hits Amari Cooper, who was covered by Jamel Dean. Dean replaced the injured Sean Murphy-Bunting
14-13 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6:28 – Ronald Jones fumbles the football and the Cowboys recover it
6:36 – the Cowboys miss a 31 yard field goal
9:48 – Brady to Gronkowski for their 85th touchdown scored in the regular season
14-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
:: The Buccaneers confirm Murphy-Bunting will miss the remainder of the game with an elbow injury
FIRST QUARTER: 7-7
1:35 – Dak Prescott to CeeDee Lamb for a 22 yard touchdown and Sean Murphy-Bunting is hurt on the play
7-7
5:23 – Tom Brady to Chris Godwin for the first touchdown of the game
7-0 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
15:00 – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers cannot do anything on their first offensive possession. Tom Brady hands the ball to Leonard Fournette on back to back plays and, then, he throws an incomplete pass to Chris Godwin.
PREVIEW:
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Lofty, maybe even gargantuan, expectations don’t faze Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The reigning Super Bowl champions open the 2021 NFL season against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night, confident they have everything it takes — at least on paper — to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since Brady led the 2003 and 2004 New England Patriots to consecutive crowns.
No one knows what it’s like to have a target on your back every week more than Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl winner who turned 44 during training camp — a few days after reminding teammates the first order of business is leaving last season behind.
The Bucs return all 22 starters from a top 10 offense and defense, however Brady and coach Bruce Arians stress talent alone doesn’t guarantee continued success.
“In one way, you’re not really defending it much, it’s kind of in the books. They can’t take away what we’ve done. It’s really just a whole other year and experience,” Brady said.
“We have a lot of continuity. We have a lot of things to build on and a lot more experience together,” Brady added. “That’s really all you can ask for as players is to be in the position that we’re in. I’d just like us to go out and take advantage of that.”
With Brady entering his second season working with a bevy of playmakers that includes receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown, tight ends Rob Gronkowski, Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard, the Bucs think they can be even more potent on offense.
The defense returns intact, too, with linebackers Devin White, Lavonte David, Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett leading the way and a youthful group of cornerbacks and safeties looking to make names for themselves.
“As good as we played with the same group of guys, I’d love to see where we can get this year,” Brady said.
“Again, all of it is earned. There’s nothing given. It’s not about a bunch of hype or a bunch of buildup. We have to go do it,” Brady added. “I think that’s about a bunch of guys that are really mature and see ourselves as professional athletes. We want to go out there and put our best out there.”