Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Tom Brady is undefeated vs. the Dallas Cowboys.
Anyone active in Cowboys spaces on social media is well aware of Brady’s spotless 7-0 record vs. the Cowboys, as it’s been posted about in abundance. Five of those wins came between 2003 and 2019 while Tom was a member of the New England Patriots.
But fans are always looking for trends to help determine the outcome of future matchups. With Dallas slated to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, Brady’s dominance of Big D is an easy trend to point to.
So let’s take a look at just how well Brady has done against the Cowboys.
Analyzing Brady’s career vs. the Cowboys
Here’s Brady’s average stat line from those previous seven games:
- 61% completion rate for 277 yards, 2.1 touchdowns and .7 interceptions per game
Those numbers are a bit inflated from Brady’s dominance with the Patriots. In five games with New England, Tom had a 10/2 touchdown to interception ratio against Dallas.
Considering Brady is far removed from his days with the Patriots, his career numbers against the Cowboys aren’t as relevant. So let’s focus on the two times he beat Dallas as a member of the Buccaneers.
New team, same perfect record
Brady and the Bucs two wins over Dallas came in Week 1 of the 2021 and 2022 seasons. In the first matchup, Tom was on fire. But Brady didn’t do much in game two.
Here are his stat lines from each game:
- Week 1, 2021: 32/50 passing (64%) for 379 yards, four TDs and two INTs
- Week 1, 2022: 18/27 passing (66%) for 212 yards, one TD and one INT
The first game was a shootout with Tampa Bay coming out on top 31-29. The Buccaneers gained only 52 rushing yards, so Brady was leaned on heavily to sling the rock. Two of his top targets were Antonio Brown (121 yards, one TD) and Rob Gronkowski (90 yards, two TDs). Neither player is with the Buccaneers this season.
Tampa Bay’s 19-3 win in game two was the complete opposite of last season’s showdown. The catalyst of the Buccaneers offense was the rushing attack, which gained 152 yards on the ground. Brady still passed the ball a lot (27 attempts), but his leading receiver was Mike Evans (71 yards, one TD).
Don’t let Tom Brady scare you, Cowboys fans
While it’s unsettling for Cowboys fans to have their team go on the road in the Wild Card Round against the greatest football player of all-time, it’s also the most favorable option.
The Buccaneers finished below .500 on the year, winning a very bad NFC South. Dallas’ other possible Wild Card matchups were with the San Francisco 49ers (13-4) or the Minnesota Vikings (13-4). Facing Brady and the Bucs doesn’t seem so bad now, right?
Plus, the Buccaneers offense hasn’t been lighting up the scoreboard this season. Tampa Bay’s 18 points per game is the eighth-lowest in football. The defense allowing 21 points per game has been a bigger reason for the team’s playoff berth.
