ARLINGTON, Texas - Bucky Irving ran 21 times for 165 yards and a touchdown, rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels completed 19 of 25 passes without an interception, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 24-16 victory over the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium Thursday night.
The win kept Tampa Bay in the NFC South race, with Atlanta and Carolina tied at 2-2 entering Week Five. The Buccaneers racked up 419 total yards, including a season-high 241 rushing yards at 6.2 yards per carry, against a Dallas defense that entered the game allowing far fewer points per game.
“Hats off to our defense,” said Daniels, making his second NFL start in place of Baker Mayfield, who dislocated his right thumb in Week Three against Minnesota. “They played lights-out the whole entire game. Alex Anzalone, being able to get that game-winning interception, I appreciate those guys. Offensively we went out there and were able to execute our game plan.”
The Buccaneers broke the game open by scoring on their first three drives of the second half. Irving’s winding 72-yard carry ignited a two-play possession to open the third quarter, followed by wide receiver Emeka Egbuka’s 14-yard score on an end-around. Outside linebacker Yaya Diaby then intercepted a tipped pass, and Daniels responded with a 64-yard completion to wide receiver Tez Johnson that set up Irving’s one-yard scoring run for a 21-10 lead. Safety Miles Killebrew forced a fumble by Cowboys return man Kavontae Turpin on the ensuing kickoff, leading to Chase McLaughlin’s 41-yard field goal.
“We played good complementary football in all three phases, starting out, and that kind of spurred everything in the first half,” said Head Coach Todd Bowles. “Jalon did an excellent job of taking care of the football and the defense played well.”
The Buccaneers’ first scoring drive consumed 10:58 off the clock - the second-longest scoring drive in franchise history by one second, trailing only a 10:59 drive against New Orleans in 1994 - and limited touches for the league’s second-highest scoring offense. Daniels finished with a 110.2 passer rating, with Egbuka catching six passes for 38 yards in addition to his rushing touchdown.
Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott threw for 316 yards, including 130 yards to George Pickens on nine receptions, and capped a 99-yard drive with an 18-yard scoring pass to Pickens with under two minutes remaining. But rookie defensive back Keionte Scott broke up the ensuing two-point conversion attempt to preserve the result. Linebacker Alex Anzalone sealed the win with an interception of a tipped pass with just over a minute left, and Irving’s clutch 21-yard run in the closing seconds allowed Tampa Bay to kneel out the clock. CeeDee Lamb, the NFL’s leading receiver entering the game, was held to nine yards on two receptions.
“That offense is very high-scoring offense, so the more you’re able to keep those playmakers off the field, the more you are able to get closer to a win,” Daniels said. “The fact that we were able to start the game that way and gain confidence in ourself I think that’s where it came from.”
Bowles framed the victory as the start of a new stretch for his team. “We started the second quarter [of the season] tonight,” he said. “We got one win and we’ve got to get three more to go to try to even this thing up. It’s a long way to climb out, but at the same time we’re upbeat and if we play this hard and play this effective we’ll be okay.”
The Buccaneers return to action in Week Six with the NFC South standings still tightly bunched.