The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered AT&T Stadium on Thursday night as the NFC's only winless team. They left with an improbable 24-16 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, powered by a dominant rushing performance from Bucky Irving and a defense that repeatedly disrupted Dak Prescott.
Dallas opened impressively. Prescott connected twice with George Pickens for substantial gains, while Javonte Williams helped establish the running game. Williams finished the opening possession with a touchdown, giving the Cowboys an early 7-0 advantage.
Tampa Bay responded with a lengthy drive directed by rookie quarterback Jalen Daniels. Tight end Cade Otton made several important receptions before Daniels found Bucky Irving for a touchdown, tying the game.
The offenses then settled into a defensive struggle. Dallas struggled to sustain possessions, while Tampa Bay encountered its own problems moving the football. Both defenses generated pressure and forced incompletions.
Late in the first half, Prescott finally moved Dallas into scoring position with a deep completion to Ryan Flournoy. Brandon Aubrey converted a 41-yard field goal, sending the Cowboys into halftime ahead 10-7.
That advantage disappeared almost immediately after the break.
Irving opened the second half with a 72-yard run, breaking into the secondary and racing inside the Dallas 20. On the next play, Emeka Egbuka scored on an end-around, completing an 86-yard touchdown drive in just two plays.
Dallas attempted to respond, but a deflected Prescott pass was intercepted by Yaya Diaby. Tampa Bay capitalized when Daniels connected with Tez Johnson on a deep completion before Irving scored another touchdown.
The Buccaneers extended their advantage with a Chase McLaughlin field goal, building a 24-10 lead as Dallas continued struggling against Tampa Bay's defensive pressure.
The Cowboys also contributed to their problems. KaVontae Turpin lost a fumble on a kickoff return, and Prescott repeatedly faced pressure that prevented Dallas from developing a consistent passing attack.
Tampa Bay had an opportunity to put the game away, but Dallas stopped Sean Tucker short on fourth-and-goal, giving Prescott another chance.
With CeeDee Lamb unavailable late, Prescott increasingly targeted Pickens. The receiver made several important catches before hauling in a touchdown pass that reduced Tampa Bay's advantage to 24-16 with 5:26 remaining. Dallas failed on the two-point conversion.
The Cowboys regained possession and moved into Tampa Bay territory behind completions to Flournoy, Pickens and Jake Ferguson. But the comeback ended when a Prescott pass went through Ferguson's hands and was intercepted by Alex Anzalone.
Irving then delivered another substantial run, allowing Tampa Bay to drain the remaining clock.
The Buccaneers finished with 243 rushing yards, including 165 from Irving, whose combination of explosive runs and physical carries repeatedly exposed the Dallas defense.
For Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles, the victory represented a significant turnaround after a winless start. For Dallas, the loss raised familiar concerns about defensive tackling, turnovers and the offense's inability to maintain consistency.
The Cowboys showed some late resilience, but Tampa Bay controlled the decisive portions of the second half and earned a well-deserved road victory few expected entering the game.
