Dak Prescott 'Fantastic' as Cowboys Blow Out Bucs, Tom Brady

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott had a bounce-back performance in the playoff spotlight, ending several team - and individual - streaks in a dominant win against Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Of all the ways to sum up the Dallas Cowboys' 31-14 playoff-opening victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers inside Raymond-James Stadium on Monday night, ESPN broadcaster Joe Buck may have said it best ...

"Dak Prescott has had a fantastic night," Buck proclaimed following the quarterback's fourth touchdown pass of the game.

And Prescott truly did - under one of the biggest microscopes of his career, just one week after a shocking performance in which he completed less than 40 percent of his passes as Dallas suffered a 20-point loss to the Washington Commanders.

Indeed, coach Mike McCarthy was asked after the win, "How good was Dak?''

"As good as I've seen,'' McCarthy replied.

But this time, with the playoff lights shining, Prescott and the Cowboys were on the other end of a dominating showing, beating Bucs quarterback Tom Brady for the first time in eight tries and ending a 30-year drought of playoff road wins in the process.

"I didn't listen," Prescott said. "I simply didn't listen to anybody else's opinions, anybody else's thoughts. Made sure I was conscious of what I put in my head. Got a great supporting cast in my team, people that believe in me - that's all that really matters to me."

While the criticism may not have been worth listening to, Prescott's final stat line is, as he finished the night 25 of 33 for 305 yards, four touchdowns and, notably, no interceptions, snapping a seven-game streak with at least one turnover. He added 25 yards and a touchdown on five runs, logging his first rushing score since Week 8.

It was a confidence-filled showing by Prescott, who threaded tight windows throughout the night and led five touchdown drives in the span of six possessions after starting with a pair of three-and-outs.

Perhaps most importantly, Dak looked like Dak - and if the Cowboys are going to continue surviving (or dominating) and advancing, they're going to need more high-level play from their signal caller.

And on a night in which nearly everything went right for Dallas, it was arguably Prescott's vintage showing that was the brightest moment.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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