Dak Prescott admits he inspired the Dallas Cowboys’ playoff victory over Tampa Bay Buccaneers after ‘wiping clean’ any memories of his underwhelming end to the regular season.

The Cowboys got the better of the Bucs in the NFL Wildcard Round on Monday night, with Prescott outshining rival quarterback Tom Brady in a dominant 31-14 win.

It was a stellar display on the night from Prescott, who completed 25 of 33 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns, as well as 24 rushing yards and a score on seven carries to help earn his side all five touchdowns.

The 29-year-old endured a difficult close to the regular season, completing a mere 14 of 37 passes for 128 yards in their final defeat against Washington Commanders, along with one touchdown, one interception, and a passer rating of 45.8.

Dak Prescott inspired the Dallas Cowboys’ playoff win over Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday

The Cowboys quarterback completed 25 of 33 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns

That proved his seventh straight game with an interception – the most of any Cowboys quarterback in almost two decades – yet Prescott bounced back in emphatic style to potentially send Brady into retirement.    

‘I got away from the way I play this game,’ he said about his disappointing end to the regular season.

‘Got greedy. Tried to just force some throws. Tried to take the big ones. And that’s not who I’ve been throughout my career, just taking what they give me, waiting on the big shot. 

‘I think it was uncharacteristic. It was a way for me to just dial back in. But I wiped that clean, and I knew what this game meant. I knew how important it was for our side.’ 

Prescott came out on top in the battle of the quarterbacks with Bucs superstar Tom Brady

Thanks to Prescott’s heroics, the Cowboys cruised to their first postseason win on the road for 30 years against the Bucs. It was also their quarterback’s first ever victory of that kind.

Head coach Mike McCarthy was full of praise for Prescott after the victory, telling reporters when asked about his performance: ‘As good as I’ve seen, that’s for sure. 

‘I think like anything, he’s so consistent in everything he does. He had a couple plays there early but he was on it the rest of the evening. 

‘I thought (offensive coordinator) Kellen (Moore) and the play calling, we stayed true to what we wanted to do. 

After the game he revealed he banished any memories of his poor end to the regular season

Brady, meanwhile, refused to rule out whether he would play again after the playoff defeat

‘I thought he played extremely well and stayed aggressive. Took the check downs. I thought he had great command of the offense and excellent presence in the pocket.’ 

Dallas recorded their first ever win over Brady on Monday night in what may turn out to be the seven-time Super Bowl champion’s final appearance for Tampa Bay – or perhaps in the NFL altogether should he decide to hang up his cleats for good.

Speaking after the game, the 45-year-old refused to rule out whether he would play again, only insisting that he was ‘going to go home and get a good night’s sleep.’  

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Dak Prescott admits he had to deliver against Tom Brady’s Bucs after poor end to regular season

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