Buccaneers beat Cowboys 24-16 as Bucky Irving, Jalon Daniels carry Tampa Bay

Bucs take control in the third quarter

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Dallas Cowboys 24-16 on Thursday night at AT&T Stadium, picking up their first win of the season. Dallas scored first, with Javonte Williams punching in a 1-yard touchdown run with 10:51 left in the first quarter and Brandon Aubrey's extra point making it 7-0.

Tampa Bay answered in the second quarter. Jalon Daniels found Bucky Irving on a 5-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7, and Aubrey hit a 41-yard field goal with 21 seconds left in the half to put Dallas back ahead, 10-7.

The third quarter flipped the game. Emeka Egbuka scored on a 14-yard run, Irving added a 1-yard touchdown run of his own, and Chase McLaughlin kicked a 41-yard field goal, putting the Buccaneers up 24-10 by the 2:58 mark. Dallas answered in the fourth quarter on Dak Prescott's 18-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens, but the two-point conversion try failed and the score held at 24-16.

Irving and Daniels carry Tampa Bay

Irving carried 21 times for 165 yards, a 7.9-yard average, and scored twice, once on the short touchdown catch and once on the ground. It was his first 100-yard rushing game since his rookie season in 2024. Daniels, an undrafted rookie making just his second career start in place of an injured Baker Mayfield, finished 19 of 25 for 189 yards and a touchdown without a turnover. Tampa Bay ran for 241 yards as a team, and receiver Tez Johnson added 64 yards on a single catch. Cornerback Jacob Parrish led the Buccaneers with 9 tackles.

Daniels said afterward that he never imagined "my first win would have been on a Thursday night."

Cowboys' turnovers pile up

Prescott threw for 316 yards and a touchdown, going 24 of 42, but he also threw two interceptions, including one off a tipped pass in the final two minutes that sealed the loss for Dallas. George Pickens caught 9 passes for 130 yards and the fourth-quarter score. The Cowboys finished with three turnovers and were outrushed 241-50 on the ground. Linebacker Dee Winters led Dallas with 10 tackles, and Malachi Lawrence had the team's only sack.

Dallas coach Brian Schottenheimer called the team's 2-3 start disappointing. "I didn't plan on being 2-3," he said after the loss.

Injuries to watch

Mayfield is still out for Tampa Bay with a dislocated right thumb and is expected to miss at least one more game, meaning Daniels is likely to start again. The Buccaneers are also without safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who has a fractured rib, and Benjamin Morrison, who is out with a quadriceps injury.

Dallas has its own list to track. CeeDee Lamb (quadriceps), Tyler Guyton (back) and Alijah Clark (hamstring) are all questionable, and DeMarvion Overshown is out with a hamstring strain. Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said the slow start hasn't broken the team's confidence: "We lost the first quarter of the season."

Facts per ESPN box score. Opinion is the taproom's.