In the blink of an eye, the 2026 National Football League season is already entering Week 5, and on Thursday, we see a clash of two teams that are off to slow starts as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4) head to Jerry World to take on the Dallas Cowboys (2-2).
Despite the difference in record, this was expected to be a very competitive battle with both looking to stay alive in their respective division races, and unsurprisingly, it was a tight, hard-fought contest between two teams whose records don't necessarily reflect their rosters. Early on, it was the Cowboys trying to establish the run game, and just five minutes into the game, it was veteran Javonte Williams that punched one in for Dallas, giving the team a 7-0 lead as the fans were whipped into a frenzy.
Unfortunately, that was the extent of the Cowboys run game for the night, as the team end with a combined 50 yards on the night between Williams and Hunter Luepke, with the weight of the entire offense once again placed on the shoulders of Dak Prescott.
In this one, Prescott completed just over 50% of his passes with 316 yards on the night, but unfortunately, he wasn't able to find consistent success as he finished the night with one TD and two interceptions as the Cowboys fell just short in this one.
It was a close game that ended 24-16, and while the story of the night was Tampa Bay's ground game, young QB Jalon Daniels once again played his role perfectly, with the rookie in just his third career game doing exactly what he needed to get the job done, protecting the ball and ending the night with a stat line that reads: 19/25, 189 yards, 1 TD, 0 interceptions.
However, it was the man that caught that score that defined the night in Tampa Bay, as Bucky Irving added another score on the ground to that receiving touchdown, with the team combining for 241 yards on the night as they bullied the Cowboys and dominated the time of posession in the game (39:21-20:39). Late in the game however, the Cowboys still had their chances, and with the Cowboys driving with 1:22 left in the game deep into Tampa Bay territory, it was Alex Anzalone that stepped up and took down the tip to grab the INT to essentially seal the game.
With the Buccaneers needing just one first down to seal the game, it was once again Irving that stepped up, converting the 2nd and 12 to ice the Buccaneers first win of the year as they move to 1-4 with the 24-16 victory as Dallas fall under .500 with the loss, going to 2-3 on the season through five weeks.