Add NFL insider Peter King to the list of football observers who believe the Cowboys could be the first team to get a shot at knocking off the defending Super Bowl champs.
Back in early February, Cowboys Wire explored the notion of a Cowboys-Buccaneers matchup being slated as the 2021 season opener on September 9. NFL.com’s Kevin Patra also pointed out the plethora of juicy storylines that a Dak Prescott-Tom Brady would bring to the kickoff event.
Now with the official schedule release just days away, King has the list of Tampa Bay’s opponents narrowed down- in his mind, anyway- to just two teams that make logical sense: Buffalo and Dallas.
His reasoning, as laid out in his Football Morning in America column:
“The NFL wants to get off to a very strong start after a shaky offseason, and they want a game that will generate buzz in the weeks before the season begins and will be must-see TV to start the season. To schedule the Saints or Bears or Giants here (all Bucs home foes this year) doesn’t seem smart because any of them could be a game that’s over by halftime. Not so Buffalo or Dallas. The Bills could go to Tampa and win the opener, and the Cowboys, with Dak Prescott leading an explosive offense, would be able to go toe-to-toe with the Arians/Brady offense. We’ll see, but those are the two sexiest home foes for the Bucs, and I think one of them will open the NFL’s 102nd season.”
Die-hard football fans know that Buffalo has become one of the league’s most exciting young squads, and Bills fans- spread across the country- are famously rabid, to be sure. But based solely on star power and the ability to lure casual viewers’ eyeballs to the television on a Thursday night, it’s hard to imagine a bigger ratings bonanza than the World Champs versus America’s Team.
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