Prescott leads Cowboys past Buccaneers into NFC divisional round

Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Dak Prescott accounted for five touchdowns to lead the Dallas Cowboys to a victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and into the divisional round of the NFC playoffs.

Prescott completed 25 of 33 passes for 305 yards in the 31-14 victory Monday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. The Cowboys, the No. 5 seed in the NFC, will face the No. 2 San Francisco 49ers for a chance to clinch a spot in the conference title game.

"I knew what this game meant," Prescott told reporters. "I knew how important it was for our side and I prepared."

The Cowboys totaled 425 yards and did not log a turnover. They also held the No. 4 Buccaneers to just 52 rushing yards and sacked quarterback Tom Brady twice.

"It's not the way we wanted to end it, but I give them a lot of credit," Brady said. "They played a good game and made a lot more plays than we did. It was a tough night."

Each team punted twice to start the game. Prescott then threw a 22-yard touchdown toss to tight end Dalton Schultz midway through the first quarter. Cowboys safety Jayron Kearse intercepted Brady at the start of the second.

Prescott ended the resulting 15-play, 80-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. The Cowboys pushed their lead to three scores when Prescott threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Schultz just before halftime.

Prescott threw his third touchdown pass about five minutes into the second half. The Cowboys quarterback connected with wide receiver Michael Gallup for that 2-yard score.

The Buccaneers finally got on the scoreboard when Brady threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Julio Jones in the final seconds of the third quarter.

Prescott responded with his final touchdown toss, finding wide receiver CeeDee Lamb on an 18-yard connection five minutes into the fourth.

Brady threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cameron Brate with about two minutes remaining, but the Buccaneers could not overcome their large deficit.

Brady completed 35 of 66 passes for 351 yards, two scores and an interception. Buccaneers wide receiver Russell Gage totaled two catches for 10 yards, but was carted off the field in the fourth quarter due to a concussion. Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said he was taken to a local hospital for further examination.

Schultz caught seven passes for a game-high 95 yards and two scores for the Cowboys.

The 49ers will host the Cowboys at 6:30 p.m. EST Sunday at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. That game will air on Fox. The winner will face the No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles or No. 6 New York Giants in the NFC Championship game.