The 2021 NFL season will begin with a showdown between Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, CeeDee Lamb, and the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday, September 9th. It will be the first game played since the Buccaneers were crowned Super Bowl champions back in February. Given the talent that both offenses possess, we could get a shootout, as long as the Cowboys are able to keep up with the Tom Brady-led offense on the other side of the field.
Seeing that Dallas may not have a lockdown defense once again, the offense of the Cowboys is going to need to put up points in bunches to defeat the Buccaneers. Provided that, Lamb will be playing a vital role in upsetting Tampa Bay on the road. The second-year wideout should thrive this season with the return of Dak Prescott.
Ahead of what should be an exciting matchup, here is why Lamb is a massive X-Factor for the Cowboys in their Week 1 bout versus the Buccaneers.
The Cowboys Need To Keep Up With The Buccaneers
After having Mike Nolan as their defensive coordinator last season, the Cowboys already have enough of his defense failing to produce. Dallas fired Nolan to begin the offseason, replacing him with Dan Quinn, who is known as a better defensive coordinator than he is a head coach. Quinn will attempt to implement his defensive system that helped the Seattle Seahawks succeed back in 2013-2014.
Quinn’s defense is going to need time to get adjusted to the new scheme, especially since he doesn’t have the personnel that he had in Seattle. Given the defense’s status, the offense of the Cowboys is going to need to carry them, at least to begin the season. At the least, the return of Prescott from a season-ending ankle ailment in 2020 should aid them in having one of the best offensive units in the NFL in 2021.
Playing against Brady is no easy task and the Buccaneers are going to come out swinging to show that they have what it takes to repeat as champions. With Tampa Bay being able to score with relative ease, Lamb and the other weapons in Dallas will need to step up. Lamb has shown that he’s on track to become one of the premier wide receivers in the NFL after being taken in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Besides CeeDee Lamb, Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup are targets for Prescott, and Ezekiel Elliott remains the primary running back in the backfield. That being said, Lamb could be the engine to the Cowboys as he mainly operates out of the slot, allowing him to take advantage of mismatches. Taking that into account, you could argue Lamb is the most important player in their offense versus the Buccaneers.
With points being needed to keep up with Tampa Bay, the presence of Lamb is crucial for a victory to take place. If Lamb is unable to produce in Week 1, then the Cowboys could be in for a rude awakening to kickstart the season. In what should be an exciting matchup to begin the season, expect Lamb to be a primary target for Prescott to get the ball to in hopes that it’s enough for Dallas to pull off the upset.
