Cowboys vs Buccaneers live stream: How to watch the Wild Card game of the NFL Playoffs online tonight

(L to R) Dak Prescott and Tom Brady will face off in the Cowboys vs Buccaneers live stream
(Image credit: Rob Carr and Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)

The Cowboys vs Buccaneers live stream is coming up and it has Tom Brady looking to add to his illustrious GOAT-of-a-career and Dak Prescott trying to add to his playoff resume. This NFL live stream will mark Brady’s record 48th career playoff start and Prescott fourth. Despite the gap in experience and not playing in the same division, these two quarterbacks have become familiar with one another over the last two seasons.

Cowboys vs Buccaneers channel, start time

The Cowboys vs Buccaneers live stream is tonight (Monday Jan. 16).
Time — 8:15 p.m. ET / 7:15 p.m. PT / 1.15 a.m. GMT
• U.S. — Watch on ESPN / ABC via Sling or Fubo.TV or NFL Plus
• U.K. — Watch on Sky Sports NFL
• Watch anywhere — try ExpressVPN 100% risk free 

The Cowboys (12-5) have been one of the top teams in the NFL all year long and are hoping that regular season success will carry over into the playoffs. Last season, Dallas posted the same record but failed to win a playoff game as they were bounced out in the first round by the 49ers who handed the Cowboys a 23-17 loss. 

If Dallas is going to pull out the road win, they will need to protect the football. Particularly, Dak Prescott who has risen to the top of the league interception totals, throwing 15 on the season despite playing in just 12 games. The 29-yer-old quarterback has the dubious distinction of also throwing at least one interception in seven straight games and three pick-six’s since Week 15. Not how any quarterback wants to end a regular season.  

There has been some speculation that Cowboys’ head coach Mike McCarthy, now in his third season with Dallas needs this playoff win to keep his job, even though Jerry Jones dismissed such rumors during his weekly radio hit earlier in the week.    

Tampa and Dallas have become polarizing combo in recent years in the NFL. When Brady and the Bucs were coming off their Super Bowl victory in 2020, they opened the following season on Thursday night against Dak and Dem Boys. The Bucs won that matchup 31-29. The NFL liked the game so much, they set ‘em up again to kickoff the Sunday Night schedule this season. And again, the Bucs won, this time by a score of 19-3. In total Brady is a perfect 7-0 in his career against the Cowboys.   

The Buccaneers (8-9) enter the playoffs as the postseason’s only sub-.500 team. They have had their struggles this season, failing two win more than two-games-in-a-row all season long. However, as most of Tom Brady’s team tend to do, they win when they need to. Half their wins came in the division and all eight came in the conference is certainly a testament to that.

In a year of change, with Bruce Arians stepping away from coaching for Todd Bowles and Rob Gronkowski staying retired, Tampa relied on the Brady-Evans connection. Nine-year vet, wide out Mike Evans tallied his ninth-straight 1,000-yard season, most ever to start a career, extending the record he set three seasons ago. Evans’ biggest game this season came when Tampa needed him most when he caught 10 passes for 207 yards and three touchdowns in their playoff-clinching win over the Panthers in Week 17.  

The Action Network has the Cowboys are 2.5-point road favorites against the Buccaneers.

Cowboys vs Buccaneers inactives:

Cowboys: Will Grier (QB), Jalen Tolbert (WR), Neville Gallimore (DT), Quinton Bohanna (DT), Jabril Cox  (LB), Nahshon Wright (CB), Trayvon Mullen (CB),

Buccaneers: Kyle Trask (QB), Breshad Perriman (WR), Kyle Rudolph (TE), Nick Leverett (G), Keanu Neal (S)

Sling TV

If you can stand to miss CBS games, Sling TV provides a middle ground. The $55 per month Sling Orange + Blue package has ESPN for this game, as well as local FOX and NBC affiliates. Sling is half-off for the first month!


How to watch the Cowboys vs Buccaneers live stream from anywhere

ExpressVPN

We think speed, security and simplicity make ExpressVPN second to none. During our tests, we saw fast connection times, and we're impressed by the service's ability to access more than 3,000 services spread out across 160 locations in 94 countries. There's a 30-day money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied.

NFL streaming tip:

If you're away from home and can't watch the Cowboys vs Buccaneers live stream, you can still see the game. Using the best VPN makes it so that you can appear to be surfing the web from your home town, so you can access the same streaming services you already pay for.

Here's how easy it is to stream NFL from anywhere in the world:

1. Get a VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN as the best out there)
2. Connect to the location you want to stream from
3. Use your usual streaming service and watch like normal

Exclusive Tom's Guide Discount: Save 49% on the 12-month ExpressVPN plan


Cowboys vs Buccaneers live streams in the US

In the U.S., the Cowboys vs Buccaneers live stream is going to be broadcast on ESPN and ABC, which is available with most cable packages and on two of our favorite streaming services fuboTV and Sling TV. 

If you have one of the best antennas, you can pull a local ABC network feed out of the sky for free.

The game starts at 8:15 p.m. ET / 5:15 p.m. PT, on tonight (Monday Jan. 15). 

If FOX, ESPN, NBC and NFL Network have typically been enough to get you all the football you need, you could get this game with Sling TV (which doesn't include CBS, and RedZone is available with the Sports Extra add on). You can get your local CBS NFL games via Paramount Plus, if you want.

The more comprehensive package comes from fuboTV, as it has all five of the main channels you'll want: CBS, ESPN, FOX, NBC and the NFL Network. That's why it's one of the best streaming services.

It's a case of "you get what you pay for" as Sling Orange & Blue (which you'd need to get ESPN, FOX, NBC and NFL Network) costs $50 per month, while the Fubo TV Standard package gives you all of the above, for $70 per month.

Oh, and if you're OK with just watching the Cowboys vs Buccaneers live stream on mobile devices (phones and tablets), it's also available on the $4.99 per month NFL Plus.

Fubo.TV:a 7-day free trial

Fubo.TV: One of the best streaming services with FOX, and the top pick for watching all of the 2023 NFL live streams, Fubo has all of the right network channels and the two cable channels you don't want to go without. Who needs cable? Not Fubo subscribers. It's got a 7-day free trial so you don't need to pay up front.

NFL Sunday Ticket: This game is NOT  included in NFL Sunday Ticket. Check out our how to get NFL Sunday Ticket without DirecTV guide for more info.

Cowboys vs Buccaneers live streams in the UK

American football fans across the pond can watch Cowboys vs Buccaneers on Sky Sports, the typical home to more than 100 live games per NFL season. 

The Cowboys vs Buccaneers live stream starts at 1.15 a.m. BST Tuesday morning on Sky Sports Arena.

Americans abroad could just use the service of their choice, provided they log in via a VPN such as ExpressVPN.

Cowboys vs Buccaneers live stream in Canada

Get in, folks, we're going to Da Zone. Or to be more specific, Canadian football fans will need DAZN to watch Cowboys vs Buccaneers live stream in Canada. 

DAZN is also the home of live Champions League soccer games. 

Cowboys vs Buccaneers live streams in Australia

Aussies will find the Cowboys vs Buccaneers on ESPN via either Kayo Sports or Foxtel

Kayo starts at $25 per month with the Kayo One Package offers a 7-day free trial to kick the tires. 

VPN terms and services language

Marc Farzetta

Marc is a contributing sportswriter at Tom’s Guide covering the NFL, NBA and MLB as well as various other leagues. He is a graduate of Temple University where he studied Broadcasting and Journalism. Marc’s previous stops include the Trenton Times and NBC Sports Philadelphia. He also worked on the production crew of NBC Sunday Night Football for 11 seasons. When not working, Marc is probably sipping his next espresso to get him ready for more work.

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