The Dallas Cowboys’ 26-24 wild win over the Buccaneers gave us 10 thoughts

The Dallas Cowboys hit Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-24 in a Sunday night thriller. The Bucs entered the game riding a four-game winning streak and were looking to keep it going to hold onto the lead in the NFC South. The Cowboys had other plans as they played spoilers and have now won four of their last five games. It was a good match with no shortage of excitement. Here are 10 thoughts on this wild Sunday night contest.

1. I DREAM OF A WHITE FUMBLE

Tampa had the ball on their own 26-yard line and needed 30-40 yards to get into game-winning field goal range, and with how easily they had moved the ball on their previous touchdown, things weren’t looking good for the Cowboys . On their very first play of the drive, Baker Mayfield refused to go down and remained in possession for what felt like forever before throwing the ball to Rachaad White, who also refused to go down. Eventually, DaRon Bland brought him down, but not before taking the ball with him. It felt like the Cowboys were on the verge of a fourth quarter collapse, but Bland turned into the Grinch and stole the game away.

2. NO RUN GAME, NO PROBLEM

If someone told you the Buccaneers would have more than 100 yards rushing than the Cowboys, it might not shock you. Tampa has a ferocious rushing attack, and the Cowboys have struggled until a recent surge from Rico Dowdle. Sure, you could conclude that the Cowboys just got blown out, but that’s not how this one went down. The Bucs outgained Dallas 134 yards to 31 yards on the ground, thanks to a lot of help from Mayfield, who struggled for 42 rushing yards himself. But despite the wide discrepancy, the Cowboys came out on top.

3. JOLLY OLD MCCARTHY

There is a lot of talk about Mike McCarthy’s future in Dallas. While it remains to be played, one thing is for sure, this Cowboys team is gunning for him. On Sunday night, the head coach did a lot of things right. The penalties weren’t too bad (five of them), he passed first, the play-calling was effective, and his group was downright tenacious.

4. LET THEM THROW, LET THEM THROW, LET THEM THROW

The absence of a rushing attack was less than ideal, but the Cowboys’ offense found success through the air. And it wasn’t just the easy dump-offs/bubble screens (although there was some of that), the Cowboys took some shots downfield. Four Cowboys players had receptions of at least 20 yards, including a spectacular one from the team’s leading receiver, CeeDee Lamb. It was great to see the offense at least show they were willing to stretch the field and take deep shots, and they looked good.

5. NO QUIET NIGHT, EVERYONE FIGHTS!

Tampa Bay entered the game as the fourth highest scoring team in the league. If you’ve been paying attention to them lately, you know they’ve been scoring points. While there were times when the Bucs strolled down the field with ease against the Cowboys’ defense, there were far more instances where the defense shut them down. What’s even more impressive about this is that the Cowboys got it done with players like Linval Joseph, Chauncey Golston, Nick Vigil and Amani Oruwariye. The Cowboys had to dig deep and shockingly made every play. It was a complete effort from this beaten group.

6. GOVERN THROUGH O

There was a long list of defenders that played in this game, but a couple of players that made the cut were Donovan Wilson and Marist Liufau. Both of these guys delivered well-timed hits to receivers that caused the ball to pop. Liufau, who is seeing more action now that the team lost DeMarvion Overshown, forced a fumble for the second straight week. Wilson looked like he forced a fumble as well, but Mayfield was ruled down before the ball came out.

7. LOOK CLOSE

The near-strike by Wilson was the second time the Cowboys nearly had a takeaway in this game. Earlier, backup linebacker Nick Vigil threw on a loose ball, but it was ruled that he did not have control of the ball before going out of bounds. The defense missed two big game-changing plays, but that still speaks to how fiery they played, and they were ultimately rewarded in the end.

8. HO HO HOLY COW, JOURDAN LEWIS!

The Tampa comeback attempt kept coming and it felt like it was only a matter of time before they pulled it off. The Cowboys defense kept thwarting their schemes, none more satisfying than the remarkable interception by veteran cornerback Jourdan Lewis. Mayfield sent the ball 50 yards into the end zone intended for Jalen McMillan, but Lewis somehow managed to make an incredible catch.

9. OLD RELIABLE

Tired of hearing the TV crew talk about how great Brandon Aubrey is? No? Nor me. Aubrey was his typical big self, knocking down all four of his field goal attempts. Three were more than 50 yards (the other was 49 yards). During the game, he drew and later passed Houston Texas‘ kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn for the lead for most 50+ field goals made in a season with 14. One of those kickers ends the year with that honor.

10. THE GRINCHE

Beating the Bucs puts the Falcons atop the NFC South and will make things interesting in the final two weeks of the season. The Cowboys can continue to play the Grinch and affect the playoff picture with games against Philadelphia and Washington. When the Cowboys give it their all, they could end up playing a decisive role in who makes the playoffs this year.