Todd Bowles had a rough-looking moment late in the Buccaneers’ win over the Cowboys, but the sideline scare didn’t turn into anything lasting.
With 1:04 left and Tampa Bay up 24-16, cameras caught the Bucs head coach down on one knee and grimacing during the celebration. The footage showed Bowles dropping to the ground in visible pain after the team’s sideline reaction to an Alex Anzalone interception and a Bucky Irving run.
According to ProFootballTalk, Bowles absorbed a helmet to the stomach during the celebration. ESPN’s Jenna Laine later relayed the explanation on X: “He said he caught a celebration helmet to the gut but says he’ll be OK,” she wrote.
Fox Sports’ Greg Auman described it as “some friendly fire in celebration on the sideline,” according to Pro Football Network. Auman added that Bowles was hurting for a moment, then was fine soon after. The reports did not identify which player delivered the hit.
Bowles addressed reporters after the game, though he was not asked about the incident, PFT noted.
The episode came in Tampa Bay’s first win of the season, and it followed a high-risk decision earlier in the fourth quarter. Up 24-10, the Buccaneers went for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1 and came away empty. Dallas then marched 99 yards for a touchdown.
Bowles said “we were trying to put the game away,” according to PFT’s Mike Florio. Florio also noted that DaRon Bland nearly had a pick-six on that drive before a bounce stopped it.
On the field, rookie Jalon Daniels completed 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards in his second start, stepping in after Baker Mayfield’s thumb injury. Dallas also had its own postgame buzz, with Dak Prescott’s tense moment in the tunnel drawing attention.
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