National Football League

Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Previewing the matchup by the numbers

Published Sep. 9, 2021 4:35 p.m. ET

Terrific Tom. The Dak attack. Zeke's eats, and Gronk's spikes.

The NFL's opening-night matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers is rife with big names who are no strangers to big games.

For Dallas, the team is eager to see how quickly its signal-caller can shake off the rust after a gruesome leg injury derailed his historic start to the 2020 season. Dak Prescott was kept dormant through the preseason due to a minor shoulder ailment, and though the squad's spirited leader was never too far from his compatriots, no practice time can wholly suffice for game reps. Thursday's opener will mark his first real action in 11 months.

Meanwhile for Tampa Bay, Tom Brady & Co. have their sights set on a repeat tour de force after the 44-year-old guided the Bucs to the title last season. According to Brady, his favorite ring is always "the next one," and after they brought back all 22 starters from their championship group, not a smidge of doubt exists within the Bucs' camp that they can hoist the Lombardi trophy again this season.

They've got to take it one week at a time, though. And the road to all-encompassing glory begins with Dallas on Thursday night.

Here are the key stats you should know about the face-off:

— 7: Dallas has won seven of its past eight games against Tampa Bay (granted, none of those wins came in the Tom Brady era).

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— 5-0: Speaking of the Brady effect, TB12 is 5-0 against Dallas in his career. His numbers against the team: 1,354 passing yards, 10 TDs, two interceptions. Not too shabby.

— 473: The Cowboys allowed 473 points last season, a franchise high for their defense.

— 80.6: The number of rushing yards the Bucs' defense allowed per game last season, the best mark in the league. The team allowed a 100-yard rusher in just one game last season (Dalvin Cook, 102).

— 25-5: Dallas' record when Ezekiel Elliott tallies 100 or more yards in a game.

— 32.6: Dallas averaged 32.6 points per game in matchups that Prescott played in last season. Without QB1, that number plummeted to 21.1.

— 14-4: Brady's Week 1 record as a starting QB. He has never lost back-to-back season openers, and the Bucs fell 34-23 in their first game of 2020. His cumulative Week 1 stats: 424-for-663 (64%), 4,932 yards, 39 TDs, 12 interceptions.

— 8: The Bucs have won eight straight outings, dating to Week 14 of last season. That's a franchise record.

— 300: The number of career regular-season starts Brady will reach with this game. It's the most by any quarterback in league history.

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— 20: The number of seasons in which Brady will have thrown a TD pass, assuming he does so this year (his chances are pretty high). He'll be the fourth man in NFL history to throw a TD in at least 20 seasons (Earl Morrall, Drew Brees, Vinny Testaverde).

— 44: Ah, yes, the big 4-4, Tom Brady's age. Brady has already smashed tons of age records (heck, he owns tremendous real estate in the NFL's record book, period) up to this point. But should he toss 300 yards or throw three TDs in any game this season, Brady will become the first QB to do so at his age.

Bucs vs. Cowboys kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC!

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