The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Dallas Cowboys 24-16 on Thursday night, earning their first victory of the 2026 season behind a career-high 165 rushing yards from Bucky Irving.
Tampa Bay improved to 1-4, while Dallas fell to 2-3. Undrafted quarterback Jalon Daniels completed 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown, giving him his first career win as an NFL starter while Baker Mayfield remained sidelined.
Irving drives Tampa Bay’s offense
Irving accounted for two touchdowns—a five-yard reception in the second quarter and a one-yard run in the third—and broke open the game with a 72-yard run on the first play after halftime. Emeka Egbuka scored on a 14-yard end-around one play later to put Tampa Bay ahead 14-10.
The Buccaneers finished with 241 rushing yards and 419 total yards, their best offensive output of the season. Daniels also added 23 rushing yards and led a 15-play, 73-yard opening possession that lasted nearly 11 minutes.
Three takeaways blunt Dallas’ comeback
Tampa Bay’s defense forced three turnovers. Yaya Diaby intercepted Dak Prescott after a tipped pass, Miles Killebrew forced a fumble on a kickoff return that Kevin Knowles recovered, and Alex Anzalone sealed the result with a late interception.
Dallas cut the deficit to eight when Prescott found George Pickens for a 17-yard touchdown, but the two-point attempt failed. Prescott finished 24 of 42 for 316 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Pickens had nine catches for 130 yards and a score.
Injury and next-game notes
Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb left with a quadriceps injury after being held to one catch for four yards in the first half. His status will depend on the team’s medical evaluation and official injury reports.
Tampa Bay next hosts the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, October 18, at 1 p.m. ET. Dallas’ next matchup should be confirmed on the team’s official schedule before readers make travel or betting decisions.
The completed score and statistics were verified through the Buccaneers’ official game recap dated October 9 and the NFL’s Week 5 report.
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Featured image credit: Kody Cheyne/Unsplash.