The NFC divisional round will have a familiar look if you’re a fan of the Washington Commanders. After the Dallas Cowboys dominated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-14 on Monday in the final game of the NFC super wild-card round, three of the four teams remaining in the NFC playoffs will represent the NFC East.
In addition, the fourth team, the San Francisco 49ers, played the Commanders in Week 16.
There were questions about which Dallas team would show up against Tom Brady and the Bucs. After a slow start, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott settled down, completing 25 of 33 passes for 305 yards with four touchdowns. Prescott also ran for a touchdown.
Brady, meanwhile, struggled from the start. Early in the game, trailing 6-0, Brady and the Bucs were driving. However, for the first time since 2019, Brady threw an interception in the red zone. The Cowboys took advantage, driving 80 yards and capping it off with a fourth-down conversion and a touchdown.
That was all she wrote.
Tampa’s defense had no answer for Dallas. The Buccaneers rarely pressured Prescott, allowing him to go through his progressions and find open receivers running free in the secondary.
The Cowboys finished with over 400 yards of total offense in the win.
Next week, Dallas travels to San Francisco to play the 49ers. No team in the NFL is hotter than San Francisco right now. In the other NFC divisional playoff game, the Philadelphia Eagles host the New York Giants.
Not a bad year for the NFC East.