Cowboys Struggle as Rookie QB Daniels Shines in Upset Victory
WHO:
dallascowboys.com - Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dak Prescott (All-Pro quarterback), Brian Schottenheimer (head coach), Jerry Jones (owner, president, and general manager), Jalon Daniels (rookie quarterback), Bucky Irving (running back), Emeka Egbuka (wide receiver), Tez Johnson (wide receiver).
WHAT:
dallascowboys.com - Head coach Brian Schottenheimer stated, "We are solution-makers. We're not excuse-makers," emphasizing the need for adjustments after the loss to the Buccaneers.
dallascowboys.com - The Cowboys are currently 2-3 after the loss to the Buccaneers, marking a disappointing start to the season.
dallascowboys.com - Dak Prescott completed 24 of 42 passes for 316 yards, with a quarterback rating of 69.1, marking one of his lower performances in recent games.
dallascowboys.com - The Cowboys' defense has allowed at least 375 yards in each of the last five games, tying for the eighth-longest streak in NFL history and the longest in franchise history.
dallascowboys.com - The Cowboys allowed 241 rushing yards, the most in the past 36 games since allowing 274 to Baltimore during the 2024 season.
dallascowboys.com - The Cowboys lost the turnover battle 3-0, with two interceptions off tipped passes and one fumble on a kickoff return from KaVontae Turpin.
dallascowboys.com - The Cowboys struggled against the Buccaneers' blitzing defense, which pressured Dak Prescott throughout the game.
dallascowboys.com - Head coach Brian Schottenheimer stated, "We are solution-makers. We're not excuse-makers," emphasizing the need for adjustments after the loss to the Buccaneers.
dallascowboys.com - The Cowboys will have a mini-bye week before facing the Green Bay Packers.
buccaneers.com - The Buccaneers' next game against the Pittsburgh Steelers is scheduled for Sunday, October 18, with kickoff at 1:00 p.m.
buccaneers.com - Jalon Daniels completed 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions, achieving a passer rating of 110.2.
buccaneers.com - Bucky Irving rushed for a career-high 165 yards and scored two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving).
buccaneers.com - The Buccaneers recorded 24 first downs, the most in any game this season and their most since December 11, 2025.
buccaneers.com - The Buccaneers executed a strong ground game, running the ball on 39 of their 65 offensive plays, their most ground-heavy script so far this season.
buccaneers.com - Tampa Bay's defense won the turnover battle, 3-0, marking their first three-takeaway game since Week 18 of the 2025 season.
buccaneers.com - Jalon Daniels became just the third undrafted rookie quarterback since 1950 to win in primetime in either his first or second career start.
buccaneers.com - The Buccaneers' 419 total yards of offense marked just the ninth time in NFL history that a team has topped 400 yards while starting an undrafted rookie quarterback.
dallascowboys.com - Head coach Brian Schottenheimer stated, "We're having the hard conversations. We're looking at the film. We're studying the areas [of concern]."
dallascowboys.com - Jerry Jones confirmed that "no sweeping changes are being considered heading into Week 6."
dallascowboys.com - Schottenheimer mentioned that "the rotation at outside linebacker will be something we'll look at" as part of the adjustments.
dallascowboys.com - Dak Prescott expressed disappointment, stating, "It's kind of our philosophy... we liked to play and we just didn't get executed."
dallascowboys.com - The Cowboys will have a mini-bye week before facing the Green Bay Packers.
dallascowboys.com - Head coach Brian Schottenheimer stated, "We are solution-makers. We're not excuse-makers," emphasizing the need for adjustments after the loss to the Buccaneers.
dallascowboys.com - Schottenheimer confirmed that "the rotation at outside linebacker will be something we'll look at" as part of the adjustments.
dallascowboys.com - The Cowboys are currently 2-3 after the loss to the Buccaneers, marking a disappointing start to the season.
dallascowboys.com - Dak Prescott completed 24 of 42 passes for 316 yards, with a quarterback rating of 69.1, marking one of his lower performances in recent games.
dallascowboys.com - The Cowboys' defense has allowed at least 375 yards in each of the last five games, tying for the eighth-longest streak in NFL history and the longest in franchise history.
Heavy NFL - Dak Prescott described the loss as "embarrassing" after a tense interaction with an AT&T Stadium worker.
buccaneers.com - The Buccaneers' next game against the Pittsburgh Steelers is scheduled for Sunday, October 18, with kickoff at 1:00 p.m.
buccaneers.com - The Buccaneers improved to 1-4, just one win behind the NFC South leaders.
buccaneers.com - Bucky Irving's 165 rushing yards helped him surpass the 2,000-yard rushing milestone for his career.
buccaneers.com - Emeka Egbuka scored the first rushing touchdown of his NFL career on a 14-yard run on a jet sweep.
buccaneers.com - Tampa Bay's defense recorded its first three-takeaway game since Week 18 of the 2025 season.
buccaneers.com - Jalon Daniels became just the fifth undrafted rookie quarterback in the common draft era to win in primetime in any start.
buccaneers.com - The Buccaneers' 419 total yards marked just the ninth time in NFL history that a team has topped 400 yards while starting an undrafted rookie quarterback.
buccaneers.com - The Buccaneers improved to 1-4 after their victory over the Cowboys, marking their first win of the 2026 NFL season.
buccaneers.com - Jalon Daniels became the first undrafted rookie to start at quarterback for the Buccaneers and the first rookie quarterback of any kind to start in the NFL this season.
buccaneers.com - The Buccaneers recorded 24 first downs, the most in any game this season and their most since December 11, 2025.
buccaneers.com - Bucky Irving's 165 rushing yards were the most by a player against Dallas in a Cowboys home game since 2012.
buccaneers.com - The Buccaneers' 419 total yards of offense marked just the ninth time in NFL history that a team has topped 400 yards while starting an undrafted rookie quarterback.
buccaneers.com - Jalon Daniels became just the third undrafted rookie quarterback since 1950 to win in primetime in either his first or second career start.
buccaneers.com - The Buccaneers recorded 24 first downs, the team's most in any game this season and its most since December 11, 2025, against Atlanta.
dallascowboys.com - The Cowboys allowed 241 rushing yards, the most in the past 36 games since allowing 274 to Baltimore during the 2024 season.
dallascowboys.com - The Cowboys' defense surrendered 419 total yards, allowing the Buccaneers to convert 7 of 13 third-down attempts and having nearly 40 minutes of time of possession (39:10).
Newsweek - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 24-16, marking the Buccaneers' first win of the 2026 NFL season.
buccaneers.com - Jalon Daniels completed 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions, achieving a passer rating of 110.2.
buccaneers.com - Bucky Irving rushed for a career-high 165 yards and scored two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving).
dallascowboys.com - The Cowboys lost the turnover battle 3-0, with two interceptions and one fumble.
dallascowboys.com - The Cowboys allowed the Buccaneers to accumulate 419 total yards of offense, including 241 rushing yards.
WHERE:
buccaneers.com - The game took place at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
WHEN:
buccaneers.com - The Buccaneers' next game is scheduled for Sunday, October 18, against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Raymond James Stadium.
WHY:
dallascowboys.com - Dak Prescott described the loss as a game "we should've won," indicating a sense of disappointment and accountability within the team.
dallascowboys.com - Dak Prescott described the loss as a game "we should've won," indicating a sense of disappointment and accountability within the team.
dallascowboys.com - Brian Schottenheimer emphasized the need for the coaching staff to make adjustments and improvements after the loss.
HOW:
dallascowboys.com - The Cowboys lost the turnover battle 3-0, with two interceptions resulting from tipped passes and one fumble on a kickoff return.
dallascowboys.com - The Cowboys lost the turnover battle 3-0, with two interceptions off tipped passes and a fumble on a kickoff return from KaVontae Turpin.
dallascowboys.com - The Cowboys lost the turnover battle 3-0, with two interceptions resulting from tipped passes and one fumble on a kickoff return.
buccaneers.com - The Buccaneers executed a strong ground game, running the ball on 39 of their 65 offensive plays, their most ground-heavy script so far this season.
buccaneers.com - Tampa Bay's defense won the turnover battle 3-0, marking their first three-takeaway game since Week 18 of the 2025 season.
buccaneers.com - The Buccaneers executed a strong ground game, running the ball on 39 of their 65 offensive plays, their most ground-heavy script so far this season.
buccaneers.com - The Buccaneers executed a strong ground game, running the ball on 39 of their 65 offensive plays.
dallascowboys.com - The Cowboys struggled against the Buccaneers' blitzing defense, which pressured Dak Prescott throughout the game.
The Dallas Cowboys are currently struggling with a record of 2-3 after their recent loss to the Buccaneers, and head coach Brian Schottenheimer emphasized the need for solutions rather than excuses. Quarterback Dak Prescott completed 24 of 42 passes for 316 yards, but the team faced significant challenges, including a defense that allowed 241 rushing yards and lost the turnover battle three to zero. Prescott expressed disappointment, stating that it was a game "we should've won," highlighting the team's accountability as they look to improve moving forward.