By Saad Yousuf, Jon Machota and Alex Andrejev
The Dallas Cowboys held off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ late comeback effort — which ended with a game-sealing takeaway by DaRon Bland — to secure a 26-24 win on Sunday night at AT&T Stadium.
The victory marked the Cowboys’ fourth in their last five games, capped the Bucs’ win streak at four and made an already tight race for the NFC South crown even closer. The Bucs’ 8-7 record is tied with the Falcons atop the division, but Atlanta holds the tiebreaker after twice beating Tampa Bay earlier this season. The Cowboys, which are 7-8, are in the midst of reversing their season down the stretch, though they were officially eliminated from the playoffs earlier Sunday.
Tampa Bay entered the Week 16 contest as the betting favorite and NFC South leader but faced a hot Dallas offense — one that jumped out to a 10-0 start and carried a lead through the remainder of the contest. The Bucs came within two points after a Ryan Miller touchdown in the fourth quarter and had a chance to flip the game in the waning minutes, but Bland’s strip and recovery on Tampa Bay’s final drive gave Dallas possession to clinch the win after a wild sequence.
CHAOS! @DallasCowboys ball!
📺: #TBvsDAL on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/PROC0YBT7e— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2024
CeeDee Lamb had seven receptions for 105 yards, Brandon Aubrey booted in four field goals and Jalen Tolbert and Ezekiel Elliott each contributed one TD as quarterback Cooper Rush spread the wealth.
Defense comes up big in Cowboys’ win
The Cowboys’ defense had a standout day, coming up with four huge sacks. However, it was two plays in the secondary that stole the spotlight. The first was a highlight reel interception from Jourdan Lewis that thwarted a key fourth-quarter drive when the Bucs were trying to rally.
sheesh, @JourdanJD 😬
📺: #TBvsDAL on NBC
📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/LvklCbYJ1e pic.twitter.com/hnxjztAG6m— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) December 23, 2024
The second was Bland’s strip on the Bucs’ final possession. Tampa Bay was down just two points and had plenty of time to move into field-goal range and win the game. The Bucs offense had just completed a touchdown drive on the previous drive. While being dragged down, quarterback Baker Mayfield flipped the ball to Rachaad White, but Bland ended the threat quickly with a strip-and-recovery of White. — Saad Yousuf, Cowboys beat writer
Rush continues to show a steady hand
On a day the Cowboys’ run game was nonexistent, Rush took matters into his own hands to lead the Cowboys’ offense over the Bucs. Rush completed 26 of his 35 pass attempts for 292 yards and one touchdown. He didn’t throw an interception and didn’t fumble the ball, either. His 8.3 yards per attempt was a season-high and he distributed the ball to eight different players.
Lamb led the way with seven catches for 105 yards, but Rush had 20-plus yard completions to Lamb, Brandin Cooks, Ryan Flournoy and Jake Ferguson. Rush was going against the No. 30 pass defense in the NFL in the Bucs, but that doesn’t take away from his production as a backup going against a defense fighting for a playoff spot. — Yousuf
Dallas didn’t play like it was out of postseason
The Cowboys certainly didn’t play like a team that was eliminated before Sunday night’s game kicked off. Rush played one of his best games. Lamb continued battling through his shoulder injury to put up big numbers. And the defense continued coming up with huge takeaways.
Lewis had the huge interception on what could’ve easily been a fourth-quarter touchdown. Bland then sealed it in the final minutes. If only the Cowboys had played like this earlier in the year. — Jon Machota, Cowboys beat writer
Cowboys DE Micah Parsons said he “100 percent” believes if they finish strong that it can carry over into next season: “You need to go through things. Everything can’t be sunshine and rainbows. I’m looking to finish this year strong and prove to these guys that we can get over…
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 23, 2024
Mayfield misses mark in Bucs’ loss
The Buccaneers needed a better game from Mayfield, who finished 31-of-43 passing for 303 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Tampa Bay was the better team, playing for a playoff spot. The Cowboys, eliminated before the game started, haven’t been good at home this season. This was a great opportunity for the Buccaneers to keep the division lead.
Tampa Bay just needed Mayfield to outplay Dallas backup Rush. Mayfield had the opportunities, but he wasn’t the difference-maker that he’s been so many other times this season. Plenty of blame can go around to the Buccaneers’ other skill players, but ultimately, Mayfield needed to be better in a stadium where he’s had a lot of success, winning NFL, college and high school games. — Machota
Tampa Bay gives up a critical game
Given where the Bucs are in the playoff picture, their loss to a Cowboys team that was 6-8 coming into the game and dealing with the demoralizing news of being eliminated from the postseason just hours before the game was inexcusable.
The Bucs needed to beat a subpar team dealing with many injuries to maintain their division lead and a spot in the playoffs. Instead, they never looked the part against the Cowboys and fell to 8-7 and a tie with the Falcons for the NFC South lead.
The Bucs have a manageable remaining schedule: a home game against the Carolina Panthers next week, followed by a home game against the New Orleans Saints. However, the Bucs no longer control their own destiny. Even if the Bucs go 2-0, they need the Falcons to slip up at least once. Atlanta plays Washington next week, which will be fighting to keep its No. 7 seed, and finishes against the Panthers. — Yousuf
Required reading
(Photo: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)
