Ayrton SennaDak PrescottEdvard MunchKurt CobainMike McCarthyTodd BowlesTom Brady

Lenny the Loser Wonders: Is Tom Brady or Dak Prescott Are Ready to Shine?

The last time the Dallas Cowboys called themselves Super Bowl champs was 1994. Some lowlights:

Edvard Munch’s painting, The Scream, was stolen from an Ohio museum, causing art lovers to, well, scream.

Kurt Cobain commits suicide, causing fans of Nirvana, to, well, we won’t go there.

Ayrton Senna is killed in an accident at the San Marino Grand Prix, causing fans to consider the brake pedal.

Man, 1994 was not a very good year, even for Cowboys fans. Because that was the beginning of the end. No more Super Bowl wins. No more Super Bowl appearances. In fact, the Cowboys postseason record since that last Super Bowl victory is 4-11 – the official record of the Jets after 15 games.

Dallas can change the narrative of being America’s Losing Team when it opens the 2023 playoffs Monday night at Tampa Bay against Tom Brady & Co. The Cowboys, the No.5 seed, will probably have to go on the road every playoff game to get to Super Bowl LVII.

Memo to 80-year-old Cowboys owner Jerry Jones: Don’t hold your breath.

MONDAY NIGHT

 BUCCANEERS +2.5 over Cowboys

The Cowboys suffered two of their five losses in the final four weeks of the season. One of the victories was against the Eagles, who were without QB Jalen Hurts. The other was against a broken Tennessee team that had lost five straight and would end the season on a seven-game skid.

In other words, Cowboy fans should be as optimistic as a musician on the Titanic.

Quarterback Dak Prescott threw 11 of his 15 picks in the final seven games. The secondary lost cornerbacks Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis late in the season, huge losses for a team that likes to send defenders after the QB. They auditioned CBs in last week’s loss at Washington, not a good scenario in Week 18.

Speaking of QBs, Tom Brady has dealt with an emotionally trying year (Goodbye, Giselle) to turn in another strong season (25 TDs, nine picks, 4,694 yards, but a 90.7 QBR, his lowest since the last season in New England). If the Bucs need a score in the final minute to win the game, no one does it better.

What the Bucs don’t do well is often playoff killers: They are the worst rushing team in football (76.9 yards) and they don’t stop the run very well (120.7 yards, 15th). If Brady is attempting 50+ passes (the Bucs were 3-2 in those games, but the wins were against non-playoff teams: Saints, Rams and Falcons) the 45-year-old QB could be in for a battering and Tampa Bay for a beating.

Then there is the C-Factor – the head coaches.

Mike McCarthy is 24-10 over the last two seasons but is as appreciated in Texas as a Northeast liberal. Todd Bowles, who was appointed head coach in March after Bruce Arians stepped down, is by all accounts a good man, a great defensive coordinator and drab leader.

The Bucs finished 8-9. Ho-hum would be a step up.

The Cowboys (12-5) opened as three-point favorites. The line has moved half a point to 2.5. Dallas is going to have to throw the ball effectively; Tampa Bay is going to have to run it. This is a Pick ‘Em game, which mean we’re taking the Bucs and the points and looking at a 33-31 finale, with both QBs throwing a pick.

 

 

 

author
Lenn Robbins
Sports Journalist
Hi, I'm Lenn Robbins, a long-time sportswriter who still holds the detention record at Bildersee Junior High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., where I was born and raised. I came out of the womb a Mets fan, was baptized a Knicks fans and through the power of TV, became a Cowboys fan, which explains why I'm in group therapy. The name of my fantasy football league team is Sexual Chocolate. Anyone who can explain the origin of said team name, please h
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