The Cowboys get another shot at a winless team on a short week, and this one comes with the lights of Thursday Night Football. After knocking off the 0-4 Houston Texans in Week 4, Dallas turns around to face the 0-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team missing starting quarterback Baker Mayfield and star safety Antoine Winfield Jr.
Dallas has been built to put points on the board. Through four games, the Cowboys are second in the NFL with 122 points scored. The flip side is harder to ignore: they’ve also given up 112 points, which leaves plenty of room for the game to get messy if they don’t handle the basics.
One of the biggest battlegrounds will be the line of scrimmage. Tampa Bay has been excellent against the run so far, allowing only 3.2 yards per carry, and Vita Vea sits at the center of that success.
At 347 pounds, he can swallow up running lanes, but he also creates damage behind the line of scrimmage. In 116 career games, Vea has 48 tackles for loss and 35 sacks.
If Dallas lets him wreck plays early, the offense could spend the night chasing.
That’s where Tyler Smith could loom large. He missed four games after thumb surgery, but there’s hope he returns on Thursday. If he does, he would line up with Cooper Beebe and Tyler Booker to give Dallas a strong interior trio, exactly the kind of setup needed against Vea and the Tampa front.
The Cowboys also have to be sharp when Tampa Bay has the ball. Undrafted free agent Jalon Daniels made his first NFL start against the Green Bay Packers in Week 4, and it was a rough one: 148 passing yards, one touchdown, two interceptions and three sacks.
That kind of debut can make a defense feel confident, but Dallas can’t treat him like a free pass. The key is keeping him uncomfortable.
Donovan Ezeiruaku and Rashan Gary need to bring pressure and force Daniels into mistakes before he settles in.
And then there’s CeeDee Lamb, who is playing like the most dangerous receiver in football right now. He just posted 189 yards and a touchdown on 17 catches, and through four games he already has 37 receptions for 498 yards and four scores.
The Cowboys have other options - George Pickens and Jake Ferguson will get their chances - but the offense needs to keep rolling through Lamb. Dak Prescott has to keep feeding the hot hand until somebody proves they can stop him.
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Cowboys Head Into Bucs Game With One Huge Line Question
Tyler Smith could be back in the mix for Dallas just in time for a trip to Tampa Bay, a development that would give the Cowboys a major boost on the interior of their offensive line. The All-Pro guard has been working through a thumb injury, and Jerry Jones made it clear that Smiths hand will be a key part of the evaluation as the team weighs his readiness for the Buccaneers.
The timing matters because Dallas is already sorting through a crowded injury report heading into the game, with several players listed as questionable or out. Quinnen Williams also pointed to the challenge of the quick turnaround between games, which only adds to the pressure on a line that could use all the stability it can get if Smith is cleared to go. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Fans Just Got A Less Comfortable Week 5 Warning
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Tampa Bays side has drawn noticeable attention at DraftKings Sportsbook even with Baker Mayfield dealing with a thumb injury and not practicing, making his status feel more like a background concern than a betting driver. The shift suggests plenty of people are willing to trust the Buccaneers to stay inside the number, which leaves Dallas facing a more uncomfortable week than it first seemed. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Irvins Wild Cowboys Persona Still Says Everything About That Era
Peter Kings old story about interviewing Michael Irvin in a strip club is the kind of anecdote that instantly pulls you back to the Cowboys most combustible era. Irvin was never just another star receiver in Dallas. He was part of a larger-than-life identity that mixed swagger, production and constant attention, all while the team was trying to turn talent into championships.
The off-field chaos was never far away, either, including a 1996 incident involving police and illegal substances that became part of his legend as much as his highlights did. Even so, Irvin still finished as a five-time Pro Bowler, retired in 1999 and reached the Hall of Fame in 2007, which is why stories like Kings still land with so much force when people talk about what made those Cowboys teams different. [Read more 🡒]