From the HERE City National Desk
DALLAS — The previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Cowboys 24-16 on Thursday night, with undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels and running back Bucky Irving powering an upset on the road.
Daniels, making his second career start while Baker Mayfield recovers from injury, completed 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown and added 23 rushing yards. Tampa Bay entered the night 0-4 and left with its first win, avoiding the franchise first 0-5 start since 2013.
Irving finished with a career-high 165 rushing yards and two total touchdowns. He opened the second half with a 72-yard run, the second-longest rush of the NFL season, and Emeka Egbuka scored on a 14-yard end-around on the next play to put Tampa Bay ahead 14-10. Dallas had opened with a Javonte Williams 1-yard touchdown run before the Buccaneers answered.
The Buccaneers racked up a season-high 419 yards of offense and 241 rushing yards while playing turnover-free football for the first time this year. Dallas dropped to 2-3 after three total turnovers, and newly acquired cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was ruled out before kickoff due to illness.
With Tampa Bay leading 24-10 and 8:36 remaining, Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles went for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line instead of kicking a field goal, and Sean Tucker was stuffed. Dak Prescott then led a 10-play, 99-yard touchdown drive capped by George Pickens, cutting the deficit to 24-16 after a failed two-point try.
Dallas got the ball back trailing by eight in the final minutes, but a Prescott pass tipped off Jake Ferguson was intercepted by linebacker Alex Anzalone to seal the win. Irving then gained 22 yards on second-and-12, allowing Daniels to kneel out the clock.
