The Buccaneers and Cowboys may not fit the usual definition of a rivalry, but when Dallas is involved, the spotlight tends to follow. Tampa Bay heads into Oct. 8 for a Thursday night matchup with a lot more weight than a typical non-division game, and both teams are trying to get back on track after missing the postseason.
Dallas has had the upper hand in this series for a long time, winning 17 of 23 meetings. The Cowboys also took the most recent matchup, edging Tampa Bay 26-24 in Dec.
- Before that, Dallas eliminated the Buccaneers from the playoffs with a 31-14 wild-card win less than two years earlier.
That matters because Tampa has been a regular in the postseason this decade, reaching the playoffs every year from 2020 through 2024. Last season broke that run. The Buccaneers started 6-2, then collapsed to 8-9 and missed out on an NFC South title that featured no winning records.
For the 2026 Bucs, getting back to the playoffs is the baseline expectation, and a win over Dallas would help a lot in that chase.
The Cowboys are in a similar spot after a rough 2025 campaign that ended at 7-9-1 and without a playoff berth. Even that record came with a major caveat: Dallas fielded the league’s worst defense, allowing 511 points, or 30.1 per game. That total made it one of the most damaging defensive seasons in franchise history.
Now the attention shifts to Christian Parker, Dallas’ new defensive coordinator. Parker arrives after two seasons with the rival Philadelphia Eagles, where he worked as passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach. During that stretch, he picked up a Super Bowl ring.
That’s a notable addition for a Cowboys franchise that has won five Super Bowls, tied for the second-most all time, though the last one came more than 30 years ago.
In Other News...
Baker Mayfield Just Drew The Criticism Bucs Fans Dread Most
Late in the 2025 season, Baker Mayfield found himself back in the familiar spot of being both the reason for hope and the source of debate in Tampa Bay. Buccaneers fans have largely stayed in his corner, especially with the expectation that a contract extension is coming, but not everyone around the league is viewing his year through the same optimistic lens. ESPN analyst Ryan Clark was among those raising eyebrows, pointing to the kind of uneven play that can make a quarterback conversation turn quickly.
For Tampa Bay, the unease is less about one bad stretch than the broader questions that have followed Mayfield at different points in his career. The concerns center on inconsistency, accuracy, decision-making and turnovers, all of which matter even more when a team is preparing to invest heavily in its starter. The Bucs may still be headed toward a long-term commitment, but Clarks comments are a reminder that the discussion around Mayfield is not nearly as settled as the fan base would like. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Fans Have A New Reason To Worry About Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfields future in Tampa Bay is starting to feel like one of the quieter storylines worth watching as the Buccaneers move through the offseason. He and Vita Vea are both entering the final years of their contracts, and while Mayfield has made it clear he wants to stay with the team long term, the sides still have work to do before anything gets serious.
For now, the Bucs are keeping their flexibility and both players are focused on getting ready for the season ahead. But with camp approaching and no real movement on the extension front, the situation has the feel of something that could linger well into the summer if the sides do not find common ground soon. [Read more 🡒]
Bucky Irving Just Got The Disrespect Buccaneers Fans Will Hate
Bucky Irvings rise in Tampa Bay was one of the brighter storylines of his rookie year, when he gave the Buccaneers a dynamic presence in the backfield and quickly looked like a player the offense could build around. Even with injuries interrupting his second season, there was still enough of a track record to expect his name to show up when ESPNs Jeremy Fowler asked NFL personnel types to sort out the leagues best running backs.
Instead, Irving was left on the outside of the conversation entirely, not even landing in the honorable-mention tier as other backs such as Breece Hall, Quinshon Judkins, Travis Etienne Jr. and Alvin Kamara drew support. For a player who flashed like a future centerpiece in Tampa Bay, the omission is the kind of slight that tends to linger, especially when the Buccaneers are still trying to figure out just how high Irvings ceiling can be once hes healthy again. [Read more 🡒]