The Buccaneers walked into Dallas as 9.5-point underdogs and walked out with the kind of win that can steady a season. Tampa Bay’s 24-16 road upset over the Cowboys was its first victory of the year, and it came with urgency on both sides of the ball.
The offense did enough in different ways to keep Dallas off balance. Tampa opened with a grinding 15-play, 73-yard touchdown drive that chewed up 10:58 and set the tone. Then, to start the second half, the Bucs needed only two plays to cover 86 yards for another touchdown, flipping a 10-10 game into a 14-10 lead they never gave back.
Bucky Irving was at the center of it all. The third-year running back piled up a career-high 165 rushing yards on 21 carries and added two catches for 10 yards.
It was also the first time in his career that he scored both a rushing and receiving touchdown. The performance made one thing clear: when Irving gets the ball, good things happen.
Even with Baker Mayfield expected back eventually, Irving looks like the kind of player Tampa should build around.
Jalon Daniels also delivered exactly what the Buccaneers needed. In only his second NFL start, the undrafted rookie looked calm, efficient, and in control, finishing 19-for-25 for 189 yards with one touchdown and no turnovers. After throwing a pair of interceptions last week, he cleaned things up and managed the game like someone far more experienced.
Daniels wasn’t perfect. He nearly took a huge sack that would have knocked Tampa out of field goal range, though a defensive penalty saved the play.
He also came close to a damaging late pick-six, but Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland couldn’t hang on. Still, Daniels gave the Bucs a poised performance and avoided the mistakes that could have flipped the night.
Emeka Egbuka helped settle him in early. He moved the chains multiple times, including on a third-and-21, and gave Daniels a reliable target when Tampa needed one.
The defense backed it all up with a sharp night of its own. Tampa intercepted Dak Prescott twice, recovered a fumble on a kickoff return after building a 21-10 lead, and held Dallas to just 50 rushing yards. CeeDee Lamb was largely erased, catching only two passes for nine yards before leaving and returning late because of a quad injury.
For all the good, though, the offensive line remains a headache. The unit allowed just one sack and created room in the run game, but penalties kept dragging the offense backward. Holding calls and false starts repeatedly undercut drives, and that kind of self-inflicted damage can’t keep showing up if Tampa wants to climb back into the NFC South race.
Todd Bowles also made life harder than it needed to be. Late in the second quarter, he sent Chase McLaughlin out for a 61-yard field goal attempt one week after saying a potential game-tying 65-yarder was “a good 10-15 yards” too long to attempt. The kick was good, but a delay-of-game penalty wiped it out because the decision came too late, and Tampa had to punt.
Then, with the Bucs leading 24-10 midway through the fourth quarter, Bowles chose to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the one instead of taking a field goal that would have made it a three-score game and all but sealed it. Tampa still got the win, but the decision-making kept Dallas in the conversation longer than it should have.
In Other News...
Antonio Brown Just Reignited One Ugly Buccaneers Super Bowl Feud
Antonio Brown has never been one to let a dormant grievance stay buried, and his latest social media post dragged an old Buccaneers flashpoint back into the light. After Bruce Arians recently spoke on a podcast about Browns time in Tampa Bay, including the idea that defenses could take him out of a game and that he sometimes complicated things for himself, Brown responded with a pointed message of his own.
The post came with plenty of the same volatility that has followed Brown since his Buccaneers tenure ended, and it landed while his legal situation remains unresolved as his case tied to a Miami shooting moves forward. For Tampa Bay fans, it was another reminder that one of the most talented, and most combustible, figures from the Super Bowl run can still turn a conversation into a mess in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Bucky Irving Just Gave The Bucs Offense Real Life
Bucky Irving gave Tampa Bay exactly the kind of spark the offense had been looking for against Dallas, piling up a career-best 165 rushing yards while helping the Buccaneers erase a halftime deficit on the way to a comeback win. Irving was a factor as both a runner and receiver, finishing with two catches for 10 yards and a touchdown in a performance that gave the Bucs a real rhythm when they needed it most.
The emergence matters because Tampa Bay has been searching for more dependable balance, and Irvings showing suggested the ground game can be more than a supporting piece. The Bucs now head home to face the Pittsburgh Steelers, carrying momentum from a game in which Irvings production helped change the feel of the offense and left even more room to wonder how far that role can grow. [Read more 🡒]
Dak Prescott Left Tampa Facing More Than Just Another Loss
The Cowboys left Tampa with another loss, but the postgame scene added a little extra heat to an already rough night. Dallas has been searching for answers after a sloppy showing against the Buccaneers, and the frustration spilled into the building as the team headed out of the stadium. Brian Schottenheimer acknowledged the struggles afterward and said the organization will take a hard look at everything, including possible coaching staff changes.
Dak Prescott also found himself in the middle of a tense exchange on the way out, one that underscored just how raw the mood was around the Cowboys. He later described the interaction and made clear where he stands on criticism, preferring it to be delivered straight rather than from behind a turned head. For a team already trying to steady itself, even the walk to the exit became part of a longer conversation about accountability. [Read more 🡒]