Thursday night in Week 5 brings a lopsided NFC meeting to Dallas, where the 2-2 Cowboys host a Tampa Bay team still searching for its first win. The matchup sets up as a stark contrast in form: Dallas is coming off a road upset of the Houston Texans, while the Buccaneers enter at 0-4 and dealing with major uncertainty at quarterback.
The biggest storyline for Tampa Bay is Baker Mayfield’s thumb. According to Schefter, “Baker Mayfield (right thumb) expected to miss 3-6 weeks.”
Mayfield already sat in Week 3, and the Buccaneers managed only 14 points in a loss to Green Bay with undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels starting. Daniels didn’t completely sink the offense, but Tampa Bay’s attack still sits in the bottom three in the league in EPA/Play, and that kind of production is a tough sell against a Dallas team that ranks among the five best offenses in the league.
Dallas, meanwhile, looks like a team that found its stride in Week 4. Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb powered the win over Houston, and the Cowboys are now heavily favored at home after being underdogs in that game.
Prescott has leaned heavily on Lamb all season, and the numbers show it. Through four games, Lamb has been targeted 46 times, caught 37 passes, and piled up almost 500 yards.
Lamb was the engine against Houston, finishing with 17 catches on 21 targets for 189 yards and a touchdown, including the go-ahead score. He may not see that kind of volume again, but he has still caught at least five passes in every game this season, and Tampa Bay’s pass defense, while around league average in EPA/Pass, has a tough assignment on its hands.
The matchup also points toward points. The OVER has hit in every Dallas game this season, and the Cowboys look built for that kind of script.
Their offense is top five in EPA/Play, but the defense has been a problem, ranking among the three worst units in the league in EPA/Play. Dallas has allowed at least 20 points in every game and 28 or more in three of four.
That leaves room for Tampa Bay to contribute enough, even if Daniels is again under center. The Buccaneers scored 14 against Green Bay and had red-zone chances throughout that game, and Dallas has also been vulnerable on the ground, entering Week 4 allowing 5.0 yards per carry in 2026. Tampa Bay’s offense remains a bottom-three unit by EPA/Play, but the Cowboys’ defense has not exactly been shutting people down.
That’s why this game has a clear scoring lean. Prescott and the Dallas offense should be good for something in the neighborhood of 30 points, and Tampa Bay may only need to do enough to stay in range for the total to climb.
Tampa Bay has yet to cover the spread in 2026, which makes the Bucs a dangerous bet with a backup quarterback. Dallas has the better offense, the healthier outlook, and the home-field edge in a matchup that looks tilted toward the Cowboys.
In Other News...
Joey Porter Jr. Changed Houstons Entire Plan In Cowboys Debut
Joey Porter Jr. arrived in a Cowboys uniform for Week 4 against the Houston Texans and immediately altered the way Houston approached the passing game. The cornerback, acquired from the Pittsburgh Steelers, logged 24 defensive snaps in his season and Dallas debut, and the Texans quickly showed they wanted little part of testing him in coverage.
Instead of leaning on his side, Houston largely steered its attention toward other Dallas cornerbacks, leaving Porter matched up against the Texans top receiver without a target. He was thrown at once and did not allow a completion, a small sample to be sure, but one that suggested the Cowboys may already have added a defender offenses are going to notice right away. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Let One Cowboys Receiver Take Over When It Mattered Most
CeeDee Lamb made sure the Cowboys left Houston with a win, turning a tight road game into a showcase for Dallas top pass catcher. In a 34-30 victory over the Texans, Lamb piled up 17 catches for 189 yards and a touchdown, the kind of workload that kept Dallas moving when it needed it most and helped deliver the team its second win of the season.
The volume was as striking as the production, with Lambs 17 receptions tying him for the seventh-most in a single NFL game. For a Cowboys offense still looking for consistency, the performance was a reminder of how quickly one receiver can tilt a game when the situation demands it, even if the bigger question is how often Dallas can lean on that kind of night going forward. [Read more 🡒]
CeeDee Lamb Sent A Strong Message On Brian Schottenheimer
CeeDee Lambs afternoon against the Texans already stood out as one of the biggest individual performances of his career, and the timing made it even more meaningful for a Cowboys offense that needed a lift. His 17 catches for 189 yards and the game-winning touchdown helped Dallas escape with a 34-30 victory, a result that offered a much-needed jolt after the frustration of the previous week.
Brian Schottenheimer was part of the backdrop to all of it. The Cowboys offensive coordinator had taken heat after the loss to the Ravens, but Lamb made sure his support was public once the win was in hand. For a Dallas team trying to stack good weeks together, the message mattered almost as much as the result, especially with Tampa Bay waiting on Thursday Night Football. [Read more 🡒]