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DaRon Bland and the Dallas Cowboys defense came up clutch against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leading to a 26-24 win in their Sunday matchup at AT&T Stadium.
Cooper Rush had a strong game, completing 26-of-35 passes for 292 yards and one touchdown, extending the Cowboys’ record to 7-8.
Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers endured their first loss in four weeks, falling to 8-7 as Mayfield gave his all, finishing 31-of-43 for 304 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, with one fumble.
With the loss, the Bucs fell to second place in the NFC South behind the Atlanta Falcons. Rush and the Cowboys improved to 7-8 but were eliminated from playoff contention earlier on Sunday following the Washington Commanders’ 36-33 upset over the Philadelphia Eagles.
B/R Gridiron @brgridiron
Baker can’t believe it…
Tampa no longer controls their own destiny and needs Atlanta to lose pic.twitter.com/KGqA8Iq5mN
Fans flooded social media to praise Rush and the Dallas defense as the Cowboys continued to give their all despite being out of postseason contention:
Josh Tolentino @JCTSports
Game ball for DaRon Bland, who iced the #Cowboys victory with his forced fumble and recovery to halt the Bucs’ last min opportunity at a walkoff pic.twitter.com/IHAdpcI3Jb
Out of the gate, Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey nailed a 58-yard field goal to secure an early 3-0 lead. Wide receiver Jalen Tolbert then caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Rush late in the first quarter, extending the lead to 10-0 heading into the second.
Bucky Irving opened the scoring for the Buccaneers with a two-yard rush, putting Tampa Bay on the board. Cowboys kicker Aubrey responded with another long field goal, this time from 49 yards, extending Dallas’ lead to 13-7.
After the two-minute warning, chaos ensued. Ezekiel Elliott powered in a one-yard touchdown run, pushing the Cowboys’ lead to 20-7.
Mayfield countered by connecting with Jalen McMillan on an 11-yard touchdown pass, cutting the deficit to six points. As time expired in the first half, Aubrey drilled another 58-yard field goal, sending Dallas into halftime with a 23-14 lead.
Out of halftime, Aubrey continued to carry the Cowboys, drilling a 53-yard field goal to extend their lead. Buccaneers kicker Chase McLaughlin answered with a 45-yard field goal to close out the third quarter. Heading into the fourth, the Cowboys held a 26-17 lead.
Two game-changing turnovers from the Buccaneers swung momentum in the Cowboys’ favor. Jourdan Lewis intercepted Mayfield on a deep pass that wound up near the goal line, and Bland sealed the game by recovering a fumble with 1:40 left.
The Cowboys will look to grab their first three-game win streak this season as they face the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday on the road. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers will look to bounce back as they host the Carolina Panthers.
