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By Jon Machota and Saad Yousuf
Oct. 8, 2026 Updated Oct. 9, 2026 5:14 am CDT
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys gave new meaning to disastrous third quarters Thursday night at AT&T Stadium.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers scored a touchdown to open the second half after a two-play (both runs), 86-yard drive. Dak Prescott’s batted pass turned into an interception, and five plays later, the Bucs scored another touchdown. KaVontae Turpin fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and the Bucs turned that into a field goal. For good measure, the Cowboys turned the ball over on downs in their territory before the fourth quarter started.
And just like that, Dallas’ 3-point halftime lead disappeared, and Tampa Bay led by 14 on its way to its first win of the season, 24-16 — and the Bucs did it with undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels making his second start of the season.
Prescott nearly brought the Cowboys all the way back. He hit George Pickens for a 17-yard TD to cap a 99-yard drive and cut the lead to 24-16, but his pass to Jake Ferguson came off the tight end’s hands, and Alex Anzalone intercepted it at the Tampa Bay 12 with less than two minutes remaining.
The Bucs ran out the clock to seal the win. Tampa Bay dominated time of possession (39:21 to 20:39) and ran for 241 yards. Bucky Irving carried 21 times for 165 yards and a touchdown.
What did Joey Porter Jr.’s absence mean for the Dallas defense?
As Jerry Jones said on a local radio interview this week, Joey Porter Jr. is not Deion Sanders. He’s a very good defensive back. Clearly, C.J. Stroud feels that way. The Houston Texans QB never came close to challenging the veteran corner during his 25 snaps Sunday. Porter was expected to play even more Thursday in his second game since he was traded to the Cowboys, but after arriving at the stadium, Porter wasn’t feeling well. He left the building escorted by a member of the team’s security staff, who was carrying a trash can. The Cowboys defense was so bad Thursday night that it’s unrealistic to think having Porter simply would’ve made a significant difference, but finding out a couple of hours before kickoff that he wasn’t playing was definitely a setback for a team that desperately needs defensive back help. — Jon Machota, Dallas Cowboys beat writer
The Cowboys secondary has been an issue, but the run defense was bad versus the Bucs. What was the problem?
It was all bad. The expectation was the defensive changes Dallas made in the offseason would at least lead to a somewhat improved group. No one thought it could get worse. Thursday night was worse. Not only was Dallas’ defense awful, but an undrafted rookie quarterback of a winless team also dominated it. There’s plenty of blame to go around. If it wasn’t the poor tackling, it was the penalties. If it wasn’t the penalties, it was players falling, leaving Tampa Bay’s wide receivers wide open.
Yes, the Cowboys were playing their third game in 12 days, but there are no excuses for what happened Thursday night. The players deserve a lot of blame, but the most belongs to the coaching staff, particularly new defensive coordinator Christian Parker. He has to wear this one as Matt Eberflus did all of those awful performances a year ago. The 2026 defense has to be better, they said. It can’t get any worse. I don’t think anyone is sure of that anymore. — Machota
Jalon Daniels played turnover-free football Thursday after tossing two picks last week. How much better was he?
Daniels deserves a lot of credit for playing the way the Bucs needed him to within the confines of this particular game. Dallas’ defense is atrocious, which means you will have something available on nearly every play. The key to success is taking what the defense gives you and not forcing things, which Daniels did consistently. Daniels (19 for 25, 189 yards) didn’t put the ball in harm’s way and made some big throws in key situations, none bigger than a third-and-21 conversion midway through the third quarter when Tampa Bay led 21-10. He also used his legs to convert a third-and-4 in the fourth quarter to move the Bucs deeper into Cowboys territory.
Daniels took a couple of bad sacks when the Bucs were at the edge of field goal range, but neither proved to be costly. The first one on the opening drive was canceled out by a penalty in the secondary, and the second still resulted in a Bucs field goal. Those little things are bound to happen for a rookie undrafted free agent, though. Overall, the Bucs couldn’t ask for a much better game from the quarterback. — Saad Yousuf, NFL writer
Dak Prescott comes back down to earth
The Cowboys were just 2-2 after four weeks, but there was legitimate MVP buzz around Prescott, who was playing some of the best football of his career. It came crashing down Thursday night. The Cowboys’ quarterback missed some easy throws early on, including a potential touchdown to CeeDee Lamb. He just never seemed comfortable, which the Bucs defense deserves credit for, too. But regardless, when you brand yourself “Greatest Offense There Is” as Prescott and the Cowboys did in training camp, you can’t lay a dud to the extent they did. They got it going in the second half of the fourth quarter, but the margin for error was too small at that point, and it was too little, too late.
Speaking of Lamb, the star wide receiver was coming off a game in which he caught 17 passes on 21 targets for 189 yards and a touchdown. Tampa Bay’s defense neutralized him, and he was working through a quad injury suffered during the game. Beyond the final stat line, Lamb was also not on the field in the second half on third down when Prescott threw an interception (Lamb caught a 5-yard pass on the previous play) or on a critical fourth-and-2 that fell incomplete (Lamb ran a deep post on the previous play). Lamb checked in throughout the rest of the game, but his injury might have contributed to his reduced snaps. — Yousuf
Cowboys had chances late but couldn’t hold on to the ball
Despite playing terribly in all three phases for most of the game, the Cowboys had their chances to win at the end. Cornerback DaRon Bland, who is less than three years removed from setting the NFL record for most pick sixes in a season, dropped an easy interception that would have been returned for a touchdown on the Bucs’ second-to-last drive. Even then, the Cowboys offense got the ball back with one more chance. It moved the ball downfield before tight end Jake Ferguson dropped a perfect pass from Prescott that went up in the air and became the game-sealing interception. — Yousuf
Bucs back up their defensive rankings versus top-tier offense
The Bucs were 0-4 with a coach already on the hot seat and with starting quarterback Baker Mayfield out with an injury. That makes it easy to be negative, but the Tampa Bay defense was elite coming into this matchup. The Bucs’ 31.24 defensive EPA through four weeks was third in the NFL, behind only the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks. They also had the second-best rush defense. The only questionable part was that, aside from the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bucs had played mediocre offenses. They played one of the best Thursday and mostly held up, aside from a late fourth-quarter scare from Dallas. — Yousuf
Oct. 8, 2026 Updated Oct. 9, 2026 5:14 am CDT
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys gave new meaning to disastrous third quarters Thursday night at AT&T Stadium.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers scored a touchdown to open the second half after a two-play (both runs), 86-yard drive. Dak Prescott’s batted pass turned into an interception, and five plays later, the Bucs scored another touchdown. KaVontae Turpin fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and the Bucs turned that into a field goal. For good measure, the Cowboys turned the ball over on downs in their territory before the fourth quarter started.
And just like that, Dallas’ 3-point halftime lead disappeared, and Tampa Bay led by 14 on its way to its first win of the season, 24-16 — and the Bucs did it with undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels making his second start of the season.
Prescott nearly brought the Cowboys all the way back. He hit George Pickens for a 17-yard TD to cap a 99-yard drive and cut the lead to 24-16, but his pass to Jake Ferguson came off the tight end’s hands, and Alex Anzalone intercepted it at the Tampa Bay 12 with less than two minutes remaining.
The Bucs ran out the clock to seal the win. Tampa Bay dominated time of possession (39:21 to 20:39) and ran for 241 yards. Bucky Irving carried 21 times for 165 yards and a touchdown.
What did Joey Porter Jr.’s absence mean for the Dallas defense?
As Jerry Jones said on a local radio interview this week, Joey Porter Jr. is not Deion Sanders. He’s a very good defensive back. Clearly, C.J. Stroud feels that way. The Houston Texans QB never came close to challenging the veteran corner during his 25 snaps Sunday. Porter was expected to play even more Thursday in his second game since he was traded to the Cowboys, but after arriving at the stadium, Porter wasn’t feeling well. He left the building escorted by a member of the team’s security staff, who was carrying a trash can. The Cowboys defense was so bad Thursday night that it’s unrealistic to think having Porter simply would’ve made a significant difference, but finding out a couple of hours before kickoff that he wasn’t playing was definitely a setback for a team that desperately needs defensive back help. — Jon Machota, Dallas Cowboys beat writer
The Cowboys secondary has been an issue, but the run defense was bad versus the Bucs. What was the problem?
It was all bad. The expectation was the defensive changes Dallas made in the offseason would at least lead to a somewhat improved group. No one thought it could get worse. Thursday night was worse. Not only was Dallas’ defense awful, but an undrafted rookie quarterback of a winless team also dominated it. There’s plenty of blame to go around. If it wasn’t the poor tackling, it was the penalties. If it wasn’t the penalties, it was players falling, leaving Tampa Bay’s wide receivers wide open.
Yes, the Cowboys were playing their third game in 12 days, but there are no excuses for what happened Thursday night. The players deserve a lot of blame, but the most belongs to the coaching staff, particularly new defensive coordinator Christian Parker. He has to wear this one as Matt Eberflus did all of those awful performances a year ago. The 2026 defense has to be better, they said. It can’t get any worse. I don’t think anyone is sure of that anymore. — Machota
Jalon Daniels played turnover-free football Thursday after tossing two picks last week. How much better was he?
Daniels deserves a lot of credit for playing the way the Bucs needed him to within the confines of this particular game. Dallas’ defense is atrocious, which means you will have something available on nearly every play. The key to success is taking what the defense gives you and not forcing things, which Daniels did consistently. Daniels (19 for 25, 189 yards) didn’t put the ball in harm’s way and made some big throws in key situations, none bigger than a third-and-21 conversion midway through the third quarter when Tampa Bay led 21-10. He also used his legs to convert a third-and-4 in the fourth quarter to move the Bucs deeper into Cowboys territory.
Daniels took a couple of bad sacks when the Bucs were at the edge of field goal range, but neither proved to be costly. The first one on the opening drive was canceled out by a penalty in the secondary, and the second still resulted in a Bucs field goal. Those little things are bound to happen for a rookie undrafted free agent, though. Overall, the Bucs couldn’t ask for a much better game from the quarterback. — Saad Yousuf, NFL writer
Dak Prescott comes back down to earth
The Cowboys were just 2-2 after four weeks, but there was legitimate MVP buzz around Prescott, who was playing some of the best football of his career. It came crashing down Thursday night. The Cowboys’ quarterback missed some easy throws early on, including a potential touchdown to CeeDee Lamb. He just never seemed comfortable, which the Bucs defense deserves credit for, too. But regardless, when you brand yourself “Greatest Offense There Is” as Prescott and the Cowboys did in training camp, you can’t lay a dud to the extent they did. They got it going in the second half of the fourth quarter, but the margin for error was too small at that point, and it was too little, too late.
Speaking of Lamb, the star wide receiver was coming off a game in which he caught 17 passes on 21 targets for 189 yards and a touchdown. Tampa Bay’s defense neutralized him, and he was working through a quad injury suffered during the game. Beyond the final stat line, Lamb was also not on the field in the second half on third down when Prescott threw an interception (Lamb caught a 5-yard pass on the previous play) or on a critical fourth-and-2 that fell incomplete (Lamb ran a deep post on the previous play). Lamb checked in throughout the rest of the game, but his injury might have contributed to his reduced snaps. — Yousuf
Cowboys had chances late but couldn’t hold on to the ball
Despite playing terribly in all three phases for most of the game, the Cowboys had their chances to win at the end. Cornerback DaRon Bland, who is less than three years removed from setting the NFL record for most pick sixes in a season, dropped an easy interception that would have been returned for a touchdown on the Bucs’ second-to-last drive. Even then, the Cowboys offense got the ball back with one more chance. It moved the ball downfield before tight end Jake Ferguson dropped a perfect pass from Prescott that went up in the air and became the game-sealing interception. — Yousuf
Bucs back up their defensive rankings versus top-tier offense
The Bucs were 0-4 with a coach already on the hot seat and with starting quarterback Baker Mayfield out with an injury. That makes it easy to be negative, but the Tampa Bay defense was elite coming into this matchup. The Bucs’ 31.24 defensive EPA through four weeks was third in the NFL, behind only the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks. They also had the second-best rush defense. The only questionable part was that, aside from the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bucs had played mediocre offenses. They played one of the best Thursday and mostly held up, aside from a late fourth-quarter scare from Dallas. — Yousuf