Rob Gronkowksi — Brady’s longtime teammate with the New England Patriots — caught two touchdowns, while Antonio Brown and Chris Godwin caught one apiece.
Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper had two for the Texas team, and second year player CeeDee Lamb caught one to keep Dallas in the fight.
A Cowboys field goal gave them a one-point lead with just 1:22 left in the game, but Brady showed his experience to put his team in a position to win the game.
And Succop duly reciprocated, drilling his kick from 36-yards out in the final seconds.
After the game, Brady praised the collective team effort in a positive start to the new season.
“Fortunately, we found a way to win. I’m really happy Ryan (Succop) and the field goal team made that really clutch kick at the end, that was great to see. Special teams were just awesome tonight. As a team, we all know that we’ve got to get back to work and try to improve.”
Shining stars
In a game of outstanding quarterback play, Brady and his Cowboys counterpart Dak Prescott lit up the field with their accuracy and timing after a challenging preseason.
Prescott, who was making his return to the field for the first time since suffering a compound ankle fracture and dislocation last season, has had to battle a sprained shoulder during the offseason.
But the 28-year-old showed no signs of rustiness on Thursday though, arguably outperforming his Bucs opponent, throwing for 403 yards, threw touchdowns and one interception — Brady had two interceptions.
“It was a great effort, but we came up short. We want to be the best, and the best is simply being better than the other guys — day in, day out, being the best in the league.”
With an array of offensive talent, the Cowboys will be hoping to improve on their disappointing 6-10 record last season.
They travel to face the Los Angeles Chargers in week two of the new season while the Bucs will host their division rival, the Atlanta Falcons, on Sunday, September 19.
