Mike McCarthy on Noah Brown, Michael Gallup: 'It's a big time for these guys'

Mike McCarthy’s Dallas Cowboys are going up against one of the best groups of receivers in the league on Monday night in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Russell Gage and even Leonard Fournette.

Matching their productivity in the passing game will ultimately come down to how successfully Dak Prescott can distribute the ball to receivers not named CeeDee Lamb.

On Sunday night, that task proved impossible. Wideouts Michael Gallup and Noah Brown combined for 12 targets and just two receptions for 20 total yards in the loss versus Washington.

Asked about what Dallas needs to do to get the team’s other leading receivers back on track, McCarthy said it’s a matter of giving them the opportunities and seeing if they step up.

“It’s a big time for these guys. This is what playoff football does. It’s all about matchups and how they’re going play CeeDee, where does Dalton (Schultz) lie in there in their conversation… It’s all part of the challenge.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about opportunities. I think Michael and Noah and TY (Hilton) will have opportunities in this game.”

Cowboys, Buccaneers draw primetime matchup for round one

The Dallas Cowboys will take on the Buccaneers on the road for round one of the NFL playoffs after falling to Washington on Sunday night.

The team would have needed a loss from the Eagles and a win over the Commanders to host in the wild card round. Now, they face the uphill battle of a playoff game on the road.

After drawing the Monday night primetime game, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles shared why he believes they got the 8:15 p.m. ET slot.

“We’ve got Brady,” Bowles said during his press conference to start the week. “They’ve got Dak, they’ve got Jerry, they’ve got the star. We’ve won the past two years, both games have been great games. This one probably will be too.”

Dallas opened the year with a loss to the Bucs, and subsequently lost Dak Prescott for several games due to a thumb injury. They bounced back to finish the season at 12-5. However, the ugly loss versus Washington brought things full circle for the Cowboys on Sunday night.

The Cowboys opened as three-point favorites in Vegas over the Bucs for Monday night’s wild card round matchup.