The Cowboys derailed the Bucs’ postseason hopes, plus huge games from Jayden Daniels and Jonathan Taylor

On By Littum

Hours after Dallas was eliminated from making the NFL’s postseason on Sunday, it was still affecting the playoffs across the NFC.

The Cowboys beat Tampa Bay 26-24 on “Sunday Night Football” to win for the fourth time in their last five games after DaRon Bland stripped Buccaneers running back Rachaad White for a fumble with 1:40 left in the fourth quarter, ending Tampa’s potential go-on drive on his first game.

The loss does not extend the season for the Cowboys (7-8) after Washington’s victory over Philadelphia earlier Sunday mathematically eliminated Dallas’ already slim playoff odds. Still, the Cowboys showed no letup, leading 10-0 inside the first quarter and 23-14 at halftime.

“SNF“ blog: Look back at how the game evolved

With as little as three minutes left in regulation, the Cowboys still held a nine-point lead, yet Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield led a quick touchdown drive to pull within 26-24, and Dallas followed with a meek drive that ended with a quick punt, giving the Buccaneers the ball back with 1:40 left.

Enter Mix.

After Mayfield extended the play by avoiding being tackled, he threw the ball to his running back, White, who fell to the turf as the Cowboys’ defensive back ripped the ball away while making a tackle. A stunned Mayfield watched a replay on the scoreboard, his mouth agape and palms up, but the Cowboys ran out the win, despite scoring just three points in the second half.

Playing at home had been a recipe for disaster this season for the Cowboys. They now improve to 2-6 at AT&T Stadium.

With the loss, Tampa Bay (8-7) is no longer in first place in the NFC South. In the NFL, division winners earn automatic playoff berths, and now Atlanta leads the division. The Falcons have beaten Tampa twice and will hold the tiebreaker if they finish the season in two weeks tied in the standings. Had Tampa Bay won this week, its odds of making the playoffs would have improved to 94%, according to NFL.com; the loss drops that probability to 67% with two games remaining.

Although its playoff fate was sealed earlier Sunday, Dallas was also playing for significant stakes. Coach Mike McCarthy’s contract expires after this season, and the team’s ownership has said it is evaluating his entire body of work before deciding whether to return in 2025. Since falling to 3-7 after five straight losses, have the Cowboys found life despite the season-ending injury to starting quarterback Dak Prescott.

Mayfield threw for 303 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, but he was sacked four times and was under relentless pressure for most of the second half, forcing him to elude rushing defenders. Cooper Rush threw for 292 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys’ win. Of his 292 yards, 105 went to wideout CeeDee Lamb, who caught seven passes.

While Bland’s forced fumble protected the win, kicker Brandon Aubrey was an unsung Cowboys hero, making all four of his field-goal attempts, including two from 58 yards and another from 53.

Around the league

  • Despite being down by 13 points at the start of the fourth quarter, the Washington Commanders came back to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 36–33. Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels finished with five touchdowns, none more important than Jamison Crowder’s grab in the final seconds to secure the win. The Commanders improved to 10-5, tied for the franchise’s most wins in a season since 1992. Philadelphia (12-3), previously riding a 10-game winning streak, played most of the game without starting quarterback Jalen Hurts, who suffered a concussion at the end of the first quarter.
  • Speaking of comebacks, the Buffalo Bills overcame a 14-point first-half deficit to beat the New England Patriots 24-21. Quarterback Josh Allen, an MVP candidate, had a lackluster game by his standards, but running back James Cook stepped up with two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving. The win kept the Kansas City Chiefs from locking up the No. 1 postseason seed in the AFC.
  • Colts running back Jonathan Taylor was criticized last week for a goal-line fumble (upsetting many fantasy football owners), but he bounced back with the best individual performance of the weekend. Taylor rushed for 218 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries in a 38-30 win against the Tennessee Titans. According to NFL.com, the Colts entered Sunday’s game with a 1% chance to make the playoffs with a loss, but a 15% chance to make the postseason with a win.