ARLINGTON, Texas — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers arrived at AT&T Stadium winless, without franchise quarterback Baker Mayfield and with an undrafted rookie under center. They left with a 24-16 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football, powered by a career night from running back Bucky Irving and a poised, turnover-free display from quarterback Jalon Daniels.
Final Score
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buccaneers (1-4) | 0 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 24 |
| Cowboys (2-3) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
First Half: Dallas Strikes First, Tampa Bay Grinds Back
Dallas opened with a crisp 70-yard drive, helped by 21-yard gains from Javonte Williams and George Pickens and a pass-interference call on Zyon McCollum. Williams finished it with a 1-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead.
Tampa Bay answered with a marathon. The Bucs' 15-play, 73-yard drive took 10 minutes and 58 seconds, extended by a Daniels scramble, a 14-yard grab by Chris Godwin and a defensive holding penalty on DaRon Bland that wiped out a third-down sack. Early in the second quarter, Daniels found Irving in the flat for a 5-yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7.
Illustration: Jalon Daniels completed 19 of 25 passes in just his second NFL start.
Chase McLaughlin appeared to drill a 61-yard field goal, but a delay-of-game penalty wiped it out and forced a punt. Just before halftime, Dak Prescott hit Ryan Flournoy on a 48-yard bomb, setting up Brandon Aubrey's 41-yard field goal that sent Dallas into the break up 10-7.
Third Quarter: 17 Points in a Flash
The game turned on the first snap of the second half. Irving made a sharp cutback and raced 72 yards, and on the very next play receiver Emeka Egbuka took a jet sweep 14 yards for a touchdown. The two-play, 86-yard drive took exactly one minute and put Tampa Bay ahead 14-10 for good.
On Dallas's next possession, David Walker tipped a Prescott pass and Yaya Diaby hauled it in at the Tampa Bay 24. Daniels immediately launched a deep ball to a wide-open Tez Johnson for 64 yards, and Irving plunged in from the 1 for a 21-10 lead.
Special teams piled on. Miles Killebrew forced a KaVontae Turpin fumble on the ensuing kickoff, Kevin Knowles recovered at the Dallas 37, and after Daniels converted a third-and-21 with a 21-yard strike to Egbuka, McLaughlin's 41-yard field goal made it 24-10.
Illustration: Tampa Bay forced three Dallas turnovers, including two interceptions of Dak Prescott.
Fourth Quarter: Dallas Rallies, Anzalone Seals It
The Bucs had a chance to put the game away, but Sean Tucker was ruled short on a fourth-down try at the goal line. Prescott then led a 99-yard drive capped by a touchdown pass to Pickens, but the two-point try failed, leaving it at 24-16.
Dallas got one last chance. With just over a minute left, a Prescott pass intended for Jake Ferguson was tipped and intercepted by linebacker Alex Anzalone at the Tampa Bay 12, sealing the win.
Top Performers
- Bucky Irving (TB): 21 carries, career-high 165 yards (7.9 avg), 1 rushing TD, 1 receiving TD
- Jalon Daniels (TB): 19/25, 189 yards, 1 TD, plus 23 rushing yards
- Tez Johnson (TB): 1 catch, 64 yards
- Alex Anzalone (TB): 5 tackles, game-sealing interception
- Dak Prescott (DAL): 24/42, 316 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
- George Pickens (DAL): 9 catches, 130 yards, 1 TD
- Dee Winters (DAL): 10 tackles
Tampa Bay piled up 241 rushing yards. Cornerback McCollum held CeeDee Lamb, coming off a 17-catch game against Houston, to just two catches for 9 yards before Lamb left with a quadriceps injury.
Illustration: The Buccaneers celebrate their first win of the 2026 season.
What They Said
"Six months ago, if you would have told me that my first win would have been on a Thursday night, Prime football game, I don't know what I would have told you," Daniels said after the game, a week after throwing three interceptions in a 17-14 loss to Green Bay in his debut.
"We lost the first quarter of the season," Bucs coach Todd Bowles said. "We didn't lose the second, third or fourth. We've still got to play those."
"I didn't plan on being 2-3, disappointed by that for sure," Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said. "But we're just getting started."
Injuries
Buccaneers: LT Tristan Wirfs was sidelined by cramps in the second half. Mayfield (dislocated thumb) is expected to miss at least one more game.
Cowboys: WR CeeDee Lamb (quadriceps), LT Tyler Guyton (back) and DB Alijah Clark (hamstring) all left the game. CB Joey Porter Jr. was a late scratch.
Up Next
The Buccaneers host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Oct. 18. The Cowboys travel to Green Bay the same day.
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