Brady, Bucs Win Opener at the Buzzer

09/10/2021

By: Jeff Yoder

Thursday Night Football: Buccaneers Beat Cowboys (31-29) on GW Field Goal in Unforgettable Season-Opener

The 2021 NFL season kicked off Thursday night with the Bucs and Cowboys in Tampa Bay, and the defending champs won a thriller. The back-and-forth affair came down to who had the ball last, and of course, it was Tom Brady engineering a game-winning drive to set up Ryan Succop’s 36-yard field goal. The Bucs, on the field where they celebrated a Super Bowl title just seven months ago, opened the season 1-0.

 

QB Battle By The Numbers

Both quarterbacks were sensational on Thursday night. Brady (Bucs) and Dak Prescott (Cowboys) combined for nearly 800 yards and 7 TDs. Each team had two receivers go over 100 yards in the offensive outburst.

 

Dak Prescott (DAL): 42/58, 403 yds, 3 TDs, 1 INT

Tom Brady (TB): 32/50, 379 yds, 4 TDs, 2 INTs

 

Pass-Catchers Who Shined

WR Amari Cooper (DAL): 13 rec, 139 yds, 2 TDs

WR CeeDee Lamb (DAL): 7 rec, 104 yds, 1 TD

WR Antonio Brown (TB): 5 rec, 121 yds, 1 TD

WR Chris Godwin (TB): 9 rec, 105 yds, 1 TD

TE Rob Gronkowski (TB): 8 rec, 90 yds, 2 TDs

 

Watch: Bucs Use Brady’s Drive, GW FG to Beat Cowboys (31-29)

 

Game 1 of 272 is in the books, but the NFL season has only just begun!

 

Additional Storylines

USA Today: Winners & Losers of Bucs-Cowboys; Bad Day for Ezekiel Elliot & Other RBs

CBS Sports: Brady-Gronkowski Connect for 100th TD, Pass Jerry Rice & Steve Young on All-Time List