Clutch forced fumble seals Cowboys win over Bucs as Dallas continues late-season surge

On By Littum

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 22: Cooper Rush #10 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates after a second quarter touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium on December 22, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

QB Cooper Rush has played well since taking over for Dak Prescott as the Cowboys have now won four of their last five games. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

As the Dallas Cowboys fell to 3-7 this season, talk of Mike McCarthy’s tenure as the team’s head coach shifted to the past tense. It seemed a foregone conclusion that McCarthy would be gone.

Much has changed in the past five weeks. The Cowboys, without quarterback Dak Prescott since Week 9, have come alive. Cooper Rush, Prescott’s replacement, is playing pretty well. The Cowboys have played like the team they were expected to be heading into the season. And McCarthy might be saving his job, which is pretty remarkable considering where he was just over a month ago.

The Cowboys had a good 26-24 victory Sunday night against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that seemed headed for an NFC South title and has some quality wins on its resume. Dallas outplayed Tampa Bay for most of the game, then held on late as the Bucs rallied. Dallas cornerback DaRon Bland stole the ball from Buccaneers running back Rachaad White just before White was down, and the fumble with 1:26 left sealed the Cowboys’ win. The Cowboys improved to 7-8 with the win, which isn’t great, but a lot better than they were in late November.

The Cowboys were officially eliminated from the playoffs Sunday before their game ever started. It’s ironic considering they finally look like a playoff team.

If the Cowboys decide to extend McCarthy, it won’t be a popular decision. The Cowboys fan base is reactionary and has wanted McCarthy out after every playoff disappointment. Keeping him because of a good finish after the Cowboys’ playoff hopes were practically done will draw a lot of criticism.

But Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has publicly supported McCarthy recently, and the win over the Buccaneers won’t slow him down. McCarthy is in an unusual position because his contract expires after the season. It’s not a matter of the Cowboys not firing him; they would have to sign him to a new contract and McCarthy would also want to return. But he has set himself up for it to be a possibility. With the Cowboys 3-7 and seemingly headed for at least 11 or 12 losses, it would have been outlandish to even entertain that possibility.

Jones has resisted the urge to overreact when it comes to McCarthy, and may do so again. McCarthy is 49-33 as Cowboys coach. He also has a career winning percentage over 60 with a Super Bowl ring while with the Packers. For all the grief McCarthy is getting, his record is pretty strong. And the Cowboys, playing well lately, look good on him.

The Cowboys’ resurgence has been thanks to a defense that improved greatly when Micah Parsons returned from injury and the solid play of Rush. Rush had 226 yards and a touchdown in the first half against the Buccaneers. Dallas scored the game’s first 10 points and led 23-14 at halftime.

Neither attack was as explosive in the second half. But the Cowboys held a comfortable lead, at least until the final minutes.

After nine points, Mayfield led a quick scoring drive, gaining 87 yards in just over two minutes. He hit Ryan Miller for a 13-yard touchdown, and there was plenty of time for the Buccaneers to make a stop and get the ball back, trailing 26-24.

The Buccaneers got a three-and-out. The Cowboys punted and the Buccaneers took over at their own 26-yard line with 1:40 left in a game that needed a field goal to win. But Bland stripped White of the ball, ending Tampa Bay’s hopes of a comeback.

The Buccaneers’ playoff prospects change with the loss. They battled to overtake the Falcons for first place in the NFC South, but lost control of the division on Sunday night. Both teams are tied at 8-7 at the top, but the Falcons hold the tiebreaker based on a head-to-head sweep. Atlanta, which looked better Sunday with rookie Michael Penix Jr. taking over at quarterback, will take the division if it wins its final two games.

The Cowboys have won four of their last five games and the one loss was competitive against a talented Cincinnati Bengals team. Dallas would be happy to pick up where it leaves off this season. It may require them to bring their coach back. It might not be the most popular move, but with each strong Cowboys performance, it looks more possible.

Live28 updates

  • Dallas has won four of its last five games after this thriller over Tampa Bay

    A crazy finish puts Tampa Bay up against a wall. The Bucs will need help — in the form of a Falcons loss in one of their last two games — and to beat both New Orleans and Carolina to close out their season to win the NFC South.

    Dallas was eliminated from the playoffs earlier in the day, and after its current hot streak, it’s a reminder that if the Cowboys could have done anything at home early in the season, when they were blown out regularly, they could have found himself in the mix down the stretch.

  • Rachaad White gets the ball stripped by DaRon Bland and Dallas will hold on

    An incredible play by Baker Mayfield turns into a Buccaneers disaster after a wild play by DaRon Bland.

  • The Bucs come up with a stop and force a Dallas punt with just under two minutes to play

    Baker Mayfield will have one last shot to put Tampa Bay in field goal range after a Bryan Anger punt and a Trey Palmer punt return put Tampa Bay up at the 26 yard line.

  • Baker Mayfield leads a quick TD drive to keep the Bucs in it

    Nine plays, 87 yards and a touchdown pass to Ryan Miller, and it’s now a two-point game with 2:43 left. Bucs have two timeouts left, Mayfield is up to 298 passing yards for the game on 30-of-42.

  • Jourdan Lewis with a spectacular interception at the goal line

    Baker Mayfield tried to push the ball downfield to Jalen McMillan, but Lewis made the uncanny play of the night to slow the Bucs’ drive and put a big dent in their comeback chances – and maybe playoff chances.

  • One of the great young defensive players in the NFL

  • The Buccaneers get on the board again with a field goal

    Tampa Bay picked up a pair of third down conversions, but the Bucs were unable to pick up a 3rd and 15 after a second down sack. The drive was highlighted by the chess match between Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Cohen. Tampa ended up in a pair of 3rd and long situations after smart blitzes and coverage disguises confused Baker Mayfield before a pair of 3rd down conversions on screen passes.

    Still down by nine, the Bucs will need touchdowns if they want to keep control of the NFC South.

  • Brandon Aubrey with another 50+ yarder

    This time from 53, which is an NFL record for most 50+ yard field goals in a season, he now has 14 – including three tonight. Dallas is now up 26-14.

  • Marist Liufau lights up Payne Durham to end the Bucs drive

    It was a 3rd-and-40 — yes, you read that right — after a bouncy fumble rolled out of bounds on second down to set up a third and forever. Liufau brought the wood to Payne to separate him from the ball to cause the incompletion. Who says there are no big hits in the NFL anymore?

  • Brandon Aubrey from 58 AGAIN to close out the half

    Dallas hits the half ahead 23-14 and Brandon Aubrey shows again. The Bucs will get the ball first to open the second half, after an entertaining first half in which the teams combined for 437 yards and 23 first downs. Even more points could fly in the second half if the Buccaneers can cut down on some dropped passes.

  • The Cowboys move quickly with their timeouts

    Big hitters for Jake Ferguson and Brandin Cooks have Dallas in Brandon Aubrey’s field goal range after just two plays.

  • Baker Mayfield hits Jalen McMillian for six

    The Bucs offense found rhythm again on this drive at the end of a now high-scoring first half as the Cowboys led 20-14 with less than a minute left in the second quarter.

  • Ezekiel Elliott cashes in for Dallas, who goes up with two touchdowns

    It’s his 71st rushing touchdown for Dallas. He’s on the back end of his career, but it’s still fun for Cowboys fans to watch Zeke eat. Dallas leads 20-7 as the game approaches halftime.

  • #88 in Dallas lives up to #88 in Dallas

    A playmaker in his own time, CeeDee Lamb. Dallas back in scoring position after two minute warning.

  • Dallas shuts down the Tampa Bay march with just over five minutes left in the first half

    The Dallas defense has buckled for most of the first half against the Bucs. Tampa has the only goal, but other than that, it’s been a rough ride for Baker Mayfield a company.

  • Dallas stalls – in perfect position for another Brandon Aubrey field goal

    This one was an easy chip shot, just 49 yards , for his 34th field goal of the season. He doesn’t lead the NFL in percentage, but of those 34 marks, 25 of them have now come from 40+ yards (he’s 25-of-29) in 2024.

    Cowboys lead 13-7

  • It looks like the haymakers are starting to fly. 34 yards to CeeDee Lamb on first down

    Lamb now has four catches and 38 yards after his first big one of the night.

  • Ah, there’s the Buccaneers’ offense

    Six plays, 57 yards in 3:15.

    IT looked like one of the NFL’s best offenses, and Bucky Irving sealed the deal for the Bucs with a 2-yard TD rush, his seventh on the ground this season. Dallas still leads, 10-7, with 11:30 left in the first half.

  • Mike Evans is in the conversation for this century’s best receivers

    He’s 31, has opened his career with 10-straight 1,000-yard seasons and is still doing so.