Cowboys 26, Buccaneers 24 – The Bucs lose to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16

The Buccaneers fell to the Cowboys, 26-24 in Week 16. Miscues and turnovers (two) were the story for the Bucs on the road. Baker Mayfield was sacked four times and completed 31 of 43 attempts for 304 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

The Cowboys’ opening 30-yard drive ended with a 58-yard Brandon Aubrey field goal, giving the home team an early 3-0 lead. The Bucs’ first offensive possession resulted in a turnover on downs after a fourth-and-six. Dallas clinched a touchdown on its second drive when Cooper Rush found Jalen Tolbert in the back of the end zone for a 10-0 lead. On the aforementioned five-play, 52-yard scoring drive, a 29-yard gain by Brandin Cooks shifted the momentum in Dallas’ favor, giving positive field position.

To begin the second quarter, the Buccaneers reached the end zone. A Mike Evans 26-yard pickup down the left sideline fueled the drive. Evans was one-on-one with DaRon Bland down the left sideline and worked over the top. Mayfield let it rip and hit Evans in the crotch. Bucky Irving had gains of 15 and eight yards on the scoring drive with alternating moves after the cut to bring Tampa Bay to the 2-yard line, and he capped it with a two-yard run. The Cowboys answered with an Aubrey 49-yard field goal to make it a 13-7 game.

The Cowboys crossed the goal line with less than two minutes left in the second quarter. A 52-yard gain by CeeDee Lamb moved the Cowboys into the red zone, and they capped it with an Ezekiel Elliott one-yard touchdown rush. The nine-play, 80-yard drive gave the Cowboys a 20-7 lead before halftime. Tampa Bay quickly traveled 70 yards in seven plays with two plays of 15 yards for Evans and a gain of 20 for Sterling Shepard. The Bucs capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield to Jalen McMillan. The Cowboys moved down the field until a Yaya Diaby six-yard sack on Rush set up third-and-15. He gained speed off the line and sped around the rush arc to bring down the signal-caller, culminating in an Aubrey 58-yard field goal as time expired in the second frame.

In the third frame, Aubrey capped a five-play, 30-yard drive with a 53-yard field goal, and Chase McLaughlin followed suit with a 45-yarder. The Bucs’ promising drive midway through the fourth quarter stalled when Jourdan Lewis stole the ball away for a goal-line interception, putting Rush and company back on the field. With just over two minutes left in the fourth, Mayfield found Ryan Miller wide open in the middle of the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown to make it a 26-24 game. Several quick out routes generated first downs to push the Bucs down the field on the late nine-play, 87-yard drive. The Bucs’ defense then forced a punt and Mayfield took over with 1:52 on the clock, but a Tampa Bay fumble was recovered by Bland at the Bucs’ 31-yard line to seal the win for the Cowboys.