Bucs 24, Cowboys 16: How Tampa Bay's First Win Happened
A winless Tampa Bay team ran for 241 yards, won the turnover battle 3-0 and handed Dallas a prime-time home defeat.
A team that had not won a game all season walked into AT&T Stadium on Thursday night and controlled almost everything that mattered. Tampa Bay 24, Dallas 16 — the Buccaneers' first win of 2026, built on 241 rushing yards, a 39:21-to-20:39 edge in possession, and a turnover count of three to none.
Dallas started fast, then stopped
The Cowboys opened with a nine-play, 70-yard march finished by Javonte Williams from a yard out, and a Brandon Aubrey 41-yard field goal sent them to halftime up 10-7. From there the night belonged to Tampa Bay's ground game. Bucky Irving ripped off a 72-yard run on the first snap of the third quarter to set up Emeka Egbuka's 14-yard jet-sweep touchdown, and Irving finished with 165 yards on 21 carries plus both a rushing and a receiving score.
The quietly ruthless quarterback
Jalon Daniels, undrafted and making just his second career start, didn't need to be spectacular — 19-of-25 for 189 yards with a touchdown and an interception — but his 64-yard strike to Tez Johnson set up the score that broke the game open at 21-10.
Turnovers told the story
Dak Prescott threw for 316 yards and hit George Pickens (9 catches, 130 yards) for a touchdown at the end of a 99-yard drive, but he was picked off twice, and Miles Killebrew forced a KaVontae Turpin fumble on a kickoff return that turned into a Chase McLaughlin field goal. Alex Anzalone's interception at the Tampa Bay 12 inside the final minute sealed it.
What it means
The Buccaneers climb to 1-4 and host Pittsburgh on October 18 with something to build on. Dallas falls to 2-3 with trips to Green Bay and Philadelphia looming — and left the night with an added worry after CeeDee Lamb exited in the fourth quarter with a quad injury, having caught just 2 passes for 9 yards.