The Dallas Cowboys have charged out to a 31-6 lead over Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers in what could be the legendary quarterback’s final game for the franchise.
But while the Cowboys may have enjoyed a fast start to Tuesday’s clash, it was a nightmare for kicker Brett Maher who made history for all the wrong reasons.
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Maher missed four-straight extra points, the first player in NFL history to do so in a playoff game.
Eli Manning said he had “never seen anything like it” while Peyton Manning jokingly (or maybe not) asked if a player can be cut at halftime of a playoff game.
It was a fairly non-eventful opening to Tuesday’s game, at least on the offensive side of the ball, with both teams going three-and-out on their first two drives.
Tampa Bay’s defense in particular was doing well to get through the Dallas offensive line, applying plenty of interior pressure and leaving Dak Prescott without much time to operate.
The result was just one yard gained for the Cowboys from their opening six plays, with some physical running from Tony Pollard proving the only real explosive threat early.
Prescott was eventually able to get things going when he found wide receiver Michael Gallup with a 15-yard completion, later marched up the field after a roughing-the-passer penalty.
The Cowboys quarterback took full advantage as he connected with one of his favorite redzone targets, tight end Dalton Schultz, for a 22-yard touchdown.
The usually reliable Brett Maher missed the extra point though, leaving the score at 6-0 in favor of Dallas midway through the first quarter.
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The Bucs put together their best drive of the game in response, with Brady working it down into the redzone in 13 plays, including a clever pitch pass for Chris Godwin.
But it all came undone when Brady appeared to try and throw it away, only to be picked off for the first time in the red zone since the 2019 AFC Championship.
It proved a costly mistake from the legendary quarterback as the Cowboys capped off a 15-play, 80-yard drive with a Prescott rushing touchdown.
An aggressive call by Mike McCarthy saw Dallas go for it on a 4th-and-goal after running back Ezekiel Elliott was stopped for no gain on the first play, with Prescott keeping it on the bootleg to score.
Again Maher missed the extra point, leaving the score at 12-0.
All the talk heading into Tuesday’s game was about Prescott’s string of turnovers but the Cowboys quarterback was slinging it against the Bucs.
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And when none of his receivers were open, Prescott used his feet to come up with the big plays, scrambling for 11 yards on a crucial 3rd-and-6 to move inside Tampa Bay’s half.
Having passed to Schultz twice during the drive, Prescott then found his tight end once more in the redzone to push the lead out to 18 as Maher sent the extra point wide for a third time.
Prescott picked up where he left off in the second quarter, first targeting Schultz who juggled and reeled in a spectacular 26-yard catch before going deep to CeeDee Lamb, also for 26 yards.
A defensive holding penalty and an 18-yard rush from Pollard then moved the Cowboys closer to the redzone as Prescott stepped up once more to find Gallup with a pinpoint pass.
Unfortunately for Maher he was not pinpoint off the boot, missing his fourth-straight extra point.
The Bucs were able to eventually get on the board as Brady launched it deep for a 30-yard touchdown pass to Julio Jones but the Cowboys answered right back with another score.
This time it was Lamb who Prescott connected with before Maher finally made his first extra point of the game.
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