ARLINGTON, TEXAS — The Dallas Cowboys snap the Tampa Bay Buccaneers four-game winning streak, beating them 26-24 in primetime fashion.
The Cowboys had already been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention before kickoff, something head coach Mike McCarthy said was “a real punch in the gut.”
But three more regular season games are to be played, starting with the Buccaneers.
Kicker Brandon Aubrey opened the night’s scoring with a 58-yard field goal on the game’s opening drive. And on the Buccaneers’ first drive, the Cowboys took over on downs.
Dallas’ quarterback Cooper Rush’s pass to wide receiver Jalen Tolbert was the first touchdown of the night. Aubrey’s point after touchdown was good to put the Cowboys up 10-0 with less than three minutes to go in the first quarter.
On Tampa Bay’s next drive, it was punted away; Dallas did not return it and would wind down the minute on the clock left in the first quarter, and continue their drive into the second. The Cowboys then ultimately punted it away.
Buccaneers’ running back Bucky Irving got Tampa Bay on the board and K Chase McLaughlin’s point after touchdown was good to get within three.
Rush opened the next drive with a 34-yard dime to WR CeeDee Lamb, and the Cowboys ended it with a 49-yard field goal.
Later, although Lamb’s 52-yard catch got the Cowboys in the red zone before the two-minute warning for the half, he left the field grimacing after being brought down by cornerback Zyon McCollum. But he returned for the next play, and was originally thought to have scored on it, but after review, he was short of the goal line. RB Ezekiel Elliott would score from 1 yard out; Aubrey’s PAT was good.
Tampa Bay would score again before the end of the half when QB Baker Mayfield found WR Jalen McMillan for an 11-yard reception. McLaughlin’s PAT was good.
Soon after, Aubrey’s 58-yard field goal would take the game to the half: Dallas leading, 23-14.
Lamb’s 100 receiving yards in the first half made him the first Cowboys player to have at least 100 receiving yards in the first half of consecutive games.
In the third quarter, Mayfield’s fumble was forced by linebacker Micah Parsons and was ruled “fumbled out of bounds.” Parsons’ sack was the 50th of his career, the sixth NFL player with at least 50.0 sacks in their first four seasons. The others on that list are Reggie White (70.0), Derrick Thomas (58.0), J.J. Watt (57.0), DeMarcus Ware (53.5) and Dwight Freeney (51.0).
On the next drive, Aubrey’s 53-yard field goal, his third of the night from 50-or-more, surpassed Ka’imi Fairbarn of the Houston Texans for the most 50-yard makes in 2024 with 14, and the most ever in an NFL season.
The Buccaneers had an answer: McLaughlin made one from 45 yards out to make it 26-17, still in favor of the Cowboys.
In the fourth quarter, Mayfield was evaluated for a concussion but did return to play. A few plays after, his deep ball thrown to McMillan was picked off by CB Jourdan Lewis. It was Lewis’ 10th interception of his career.
With two-and-a-half minutes to go, Mayfield would get the Buccaneers within two with his TD pass to WR Ryan Miller and McLaughlin’s PAT.
CB DaRon Bland’s takeaway in the final two minutes gave the Cowboys possession again, allowing them to run out the clock and finish Week 16 with a win.
“The takeaways won the game,” McCarthy said.
Bland received the game ball for it; it was his first forced and recovered fumble of the season.
Rush went 26 for 35 and had 292 yards and one TD, getting eight players involved in the air. Mayfield had just six yards more, completing 30 of 42 with two TDs and one interception.
Running back Rico Dowdle was held to just 23 yards, despite having rushed for 392 yards in the past three games. Dallas rushed for just 35 yards total; McCarthy saying, “we just have to get back to running it and throwing it with some balance.”
The next two games for Dallas are against NFC East foes—starting with the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday, then finishing the season at home against the Washington Commanders the following Sunday.
