TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Dallas Cowboys 31-14 in the NFC wild-card game Monday Night.
Tampa Bay was the underdog heading into the game, and even the return of Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen from the injured reserve was enough to power the Bucs to a victory. Jensen played in his first game in nearly one calendar year after suffering a serious knee injury early in training camp.
For Dallas, the win not only sends the team to the NFC Divisional Round to play the 49ers, it also ends an ugly playoff streak. Monday's victory in Tampa ended Dallas' nearly three-decade streak of road playoff losses. (The last Cowboys road playoff win was on January 17, 1993.)
With Dallas moving on, the NFC East will have three of the four remaining teams in the NFC playoffs, with only the 49ers representing any other division.
In Tampa, the loss ends an ugly season that saw an anemic running game unable to give any assistance to a solid year from Tom Brady. Tampa's offensive inefficiency was evident throughout the season was evident to all the fans, but the Bucs stayed the course.
Now, Tampa Bay is looking at major changes across the board. Brady could be moving on to another team, and the Bucs head into the offseason with the worst salary cap situation in the National Football League.
Unless Brady stays or the Bucs can swing a trade for a good quarterback, it may be a few years before Bucs fans can enjoy another playoff run.
