If undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels was supposed to struggle in his first road game, on a short week no less, somebody forgot to tell him. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback orchestrated a stunning 24-16 upset of the Dallas Cowboys on "Thursday Night Football" to open the NFL's Week 5 in the most unpredictable fashion.
Although they surrendered a touchdown on the game's opening drive, it was clear from the early going that the Buccaneers would be able to hang with the Cowboys, if not defeat them outright. The first time they touched the ball, they strung together the most methodical drive of the NFL season. Daniels completed all eight of his throws on the possession, which tied the most passes without a completion on any drive by a Tampa Bay quarterback in the last 35 years. With high-quality throws and ample help from some Cowboys penalties, the Buccaneers took 10:58 off the clock on a 15-play, 73-yard march to the end zone. It was the NFL's longest drive in 19 years.
The Cowboys stood tall enough for the rest of the first half to take a 10-7 lead into the locker room, but their beleaguered defense was far too weak to hold onto that advantage.
In a complete reversal from their first drive of the game, the Buccaneers needed only one minute and two plays to open the second half with a touchdown. Running back Bucky Irving torched the leaky Cowboys on a 72-yard sprint to set up the score. Tampa Bay controlled the second half from there.
This was a three-dimensional beatdown at the hands of the previously winless Buccaneers. With two interceptions on defense and a fumble recovery from the kickoff team, Tampa Bay outplayed Dallas in every phase to secure its first victory of the season.
CBS Sports was with you throughout the Buccaneers' victory. Below are our takeaways, plus in-game analysis and highlights.
If you didn't know any better, you would have thought that Tampa Bay had a seasoned veteran at quarterback on Thursday night. Daniels ran the Buccaneers' offense to pure perfection and is a major reason why the Buccaneers are no longer winless.
Daniels showed flashes of his potential in Tampa Bay's last two games, but he was plagued by three interceptions that included two in the Buccaneers' 17-14 loss to Green Bay in Week 4. If Tampa Bay was going to upset Dallas, Daniels was going to have to take better care of the football. That's exactly what happened.
Daniels started the game by taking what the Cowboys' defense gave him. Eventually, he started to attack the Cowboys' defense downfield. One of his most impressive plays was a 27-yard completion to Emeka Egbuka on a third-and-21 play that helped Tampa Bay extend its lead to 24-10 late in the third quarter.
Tampa Bay was able to take advantage of a Cowboys defense that was 31st in the NFL in rushing yards allowed and 27th in average yards-per-carry allowed through four weeks. The Buccaneers (whose 4.4 yards-per-carry average through four games ranked 10th in the NFL) exploited Dallas' run defense for 241 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries.
Irving ran for a career-high 165 yards while posting his first 100-yard rushing performance since Week 16 of the 2024 season. His success impacted the game in a multitude of ways. It led to Buccaneers points, kept Dallas' offense off the field and helped open things up for Daniels and the passing game.
No one in the NFL felt more pressure to win this week than Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles, who was (and probably still is) on the hot seat following Tampa Bay's 0-4 start. Bowles' team, a 9.5-point underdog going into the game, outplayed Dallas seemingly from start to finish.
Bowles showed faith in his team when he decided to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line with 8:36 left and the Buccaneers holding a 24-10 lead. While a field goal would have made it a three-possession lead, Bowles sent his offense back on the field. The decision initially backfired when Sean Tucker was stuffed for no gain.
Dallas quickly marched 99 yards and made it a 24-16 game after missing a 2-point conversion. The Cowboys then forced a punt and had a chance to tie it up before Prescott threw his second interception of the night deep in Buccaneers territory. Irving then iced the game with a 22-yard run.
While it looked bleak for a while, Bowles' decision proved to be the right one. He trusted his team, and they responded by making the plays when it mattered most.
Doomsday used to refer to the Cowboys' legendary defense. Now, it's a word that can be used to sum up the state of America's Team, who are now a disappointing 2-3.
Let's start with the defense. Daniels and Co. deserve a ton of credit for how they played, but Dallas' defense made their jobs pretty easy at times. An example of this was Daniels' 64-yard completion to Tez Johnson that extended Tampa Bay's lead to 21-10. The Cowboys missed Joey Porter Jr., who was sick and missed the game.
Speaking of cornerbacks, DaRon Bland missed a golden opportunity for a pick-six with 3:58 left.
Offensively, the Cowboys completely gave up on the running game after their first series. Prescott was uncharacteristically off his game. He struggled with accuracy, completing just 52.2% of his passes. It didn't help that CeeDee Lamb missed time in the second half with an injury.
Bucky Irving runs for a game-clinching first down. Jerry Jones heading to the locker room.
Buccaneers will leave Dallas with a 24-16. Tampa Bay has its first win of the season, and the Cowboys fall to 2-3.
Player of the game was rookie Jaylon Danniels, who went 19 of 25 for 189 yards and a score. Todd Bowels is emotional, and rightly so.
Prescott is picked in the red zone by Alex Anzalone after the ball went off Jake Ferguson's hands.
The Buccaneers take over with 1:13 left, and Dallas will take its first timeout after a running play on first down.
Frustration boiling over in Dallas. George Pickens slams a helmet. Jerry Jones pounds his table.
Prescott hits Flournoy for a 26-yard gain as Cowboys cross midfield. The Cowboys are without CeeDee Lamb and Tyler Guyton.
DaRon Bland almost had a pick-six, but instead, he breaks up the Bucs' third-down pass and helps force a punt. Dallas offense takes over at its own 24 with 3:42 left. Cowboys still has all of its timeouts.
Buccaneers look a little gassed. That decision to go for it on fourth-and-goal could seal Bowels' fate in Tampa if Dallas comes back to win this.
Prescott hits Pickens on an acrobatic TD that pulls the Cowboys to within a score with 5:26 left. Quick drive for the Cowboys, who traveled 99 yards in about three minutes.
Cowboys miss the two-point try, though, so it remains a 24-16 game.
Dak threw it in the middle of two receivers and one defensive back. The defensive back broke the pass up.
Dallas did not burn a timeout on that drive, so they still have all three left.
Dallas stops Tampa Bay's run on fourth-and-goal. The Cowboys have kept it a two-possession game, but they'll have to drive 99 yards in order to make it a one-score game. They still have three timeouts and 8:32 left on the clock.
It's fair to question the Bowels' decision to go for it there. A FG makes it a three-possession game. Hard to imagine the Cowboys getting three scores given how well Tampa Bay's defense has played.
Daniels showed his versatility again in picking up another first down at the start of the fourth quarter. Buccaneers have rushed for over 200 yards and are in position to add to their lead.
Bucky Irving hasn't been on the sideline for this series. He appeared to get shaken up on Tampa Bay's last drive.
Buccaneers lead 24-10 heading into the fourth. Tampa Bay outscored Dallas 17-0 that quarter.
Dak overthrows Jake Ferguson on fourth down, and Dallas turns it over on downs with 1:46 left in the third.
Cowboys are way too one-dimensional. They got a seven-yard run by Williams on first down and then threw three straight incomplete passes. Prescott being off his game isn't helping matters. His accuracy is uncharacteristically off.
Tampa Bay is up 24-10, but it missed a golden chance to get a three-possession lead with 18 minutes to play. A false start penalty contributed to TB having to settle for a field goal.
Daniels has been excellent tonight. He's up to 182 yards on 17 of 22 passing. No turnovers.
Just when you think the Cowboys were about to come up with a spot, Johnson delivers with a 21-yard completion on Egbuka on third-and-21. Buccaneers in scoring position once again.
Irving takes it home for the Buccaneers' second TD of the quarter. Tampa Bay is dominating this game. The Cowboys' defense is leaking, and their offense has been one dimensional since their opening drive.
Bucs back in business after a 64-yard catch and run by Tez Johnson. Boos coming down in Dallas.
The Buccaneers offense is coming back on the field after Prescott is picked off by Yaya Diaby. Tampa Bay, a 9.5-point underdog, is outplaying Dallas on both sides of the ball.
Tampa has a chance to add to their 14-10 lead.
Tampa Bay scores a TD just one minute into the second half. A 72-yard run by Bucky Irving sets up a TD run by Emeka Egbuka. Unreal start for Tampa Bay.
Score: Cowboys 10, Buccaneers 7
First downs: Buccaneers 13-10
Total yards: 154-146
Third down: Bucs 4-7, Cowboys 1-5
Red zone: Both teams 1-1
Penalties: Bucs 8-47, Cowboys 5-40
TOP: Bucs 19:29
Daniels: 12-16, 90 yards, TD, 0 sacks
Prescott: 9-20, 114 yards, 0 sacks
Williams: 7 carries, 32 yards, TD (longest run: 21 yards)
Lamb: 1 catch on 4 targets, 4 yards
Irving: 9 carries, 35 yards
Godwin: 3 catches on 3 targets, 37 yards
Brandon Aubrey gives Dallas the lead on a 41-yard FG with 21 seconds left in the half. It could have been more, but an effective pass rush forced Prescott into another incompletion on third down.
Tampa has to punt after Johnson decided to run and was tackled short of the sticks on third-and-five. Johnson didn't show much patience on that play; he made up his mind pretty quickly that he was going to try to run for the first. He didn't force anything, but as mentioned earlier, he and the Buccaneers are going to have to take a chance at some point.
Nice run by Bucky Irving gives the Buccaneers a first down in Cowboys territory. Tampa Bay couldn't have asked for a better start. They're controlling the line of scrimmage and not beating themselves.
Todd Bowels is flexing his defensive coordinating muscles tonight. The Cowboys forced to punt again after Bowels bring five pass rushers on third down. Prescott avoided the pressure but nearly threw an interception.
Prescott is just 6 of 12 tonight, and Williams hasn't had any room to run since the game's opening drive. This is the type of game the Buccaneers have to play to have a chance to win. The issue is they need to win the field position battle, which they currently are not.
After both teams opened the game with long scoring drives, their second drives end in punts. The Cowboys will get good field position for their third drive after forcing Tampa to punt from the shadow of their end zone.
Daniels is 9 of 10 but for only 52 yards. It's clear that the focus is on him protecting the ball and attempting high percentage throws. The issue is that the Cowboys are crowding the line of scrimmage.
The approach is smart, but at some point, Tampa will have to test Dallas' defense downfield.
Tampa Bay capped off their opening drive with a game-tying score, courtesy of Bucky Irving. That was an impressive drive by Tampa, who marched 73 yards in 15 plays and took 10:58 off the clock. Daniels was a perfect 8 of 8 for 49 yards on the drive. He also ran twice for 11 yards.
Time wise, that was the NFL's longest drive in 19 years!
Tampa was a perfect 3 of 3 on third down.
Daniels put his head down and ran for a first down on third-and-4. His running is an asset, but he needs to try to avoid taking hits like that.
Javonte Williams scores the game's first TD with 10:51 left in the first. Williams now has seven touchdowns on the year. The score capped off a nine-play, 70-yard drive that took 4:09 off the clock. Williams had 26 yards on four carries. Prescott was 3 of 5 for 37 yards.
21-yard gains on consecutive plays by Javonte Williams and George Pickens have Dallas in scoring rage in the game's opening minutes.
Cowboys to receive. Bucs will get the ball to start the second half.
CeeDee Lamb is 75 yards away from passing Tony Hill and into third all-time in Cowboys history in receiving yards. When he passes Hill, Lamb will trail only Jason Witten and Hall of Famer Michael Irvin.
The Cowboys are a heavy favorite, but they have some weaknesses the Bucs will undoubtedly look to exploit. The main thing is Dallas' 28th ranked scoring defense that is 31st in rushing yards allowed.
The Buccaneers are 10th in the league in YPC average. If they can establish the run with Daniels and Bucky Irving, that will open things up for the passing game.
Porter's absence is magnified by the fact that DaRon Bland has struggled this season.
As expected, Baker Mayfield will miss his second straight game as he continues to recover from his dislocated thumb in his right hand.
Jalon Daniels played pretty well in his first career start. He completed over 70% of his passes and threw a touchdown. He also made some plays on the ground. He will have to do a better job taking care of the ball after throwing two picks in a 17-14 loss to the Packers.
