3 up, 3 down in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ brutal loss to the Dallas Cowboys

On By Littum

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers came to Dallas needing a win on Sunday Night Football. However, they fell short, falling to the Cowboys 26-24. A win was crucial to stay ahead of the Atlanta Falcons, who won their game today against the Giants, but the loss leaves them tied for first place in the NFC South. The problem with that? Atlanta holds the tiebreaker after beating the Bucs twice in the regular season.

So now the Bucs are back in the position of needing a little luck to capture their fourth straight NFC South title. It’s the Panthers and Saints for Tampa Bay, while Atlanta has the Commanders and Panthers. There is still a path to the playoffs even if the Bucs don’t win the division, but it will take a lot of luck and them to win. Here’s who shined and who struggled in the Bucs’ brutal loss to the Cowboys.

RB Bucky Irving

It didn’t take long for Irving to get going. The Bucs rookie running back scampered 28 yards with a long of 15, en route to a two-yard touchdown plunge for Tampa Bay’s first points of the day. Bucky gained 40 more yards on the day to give him 68 total yards.

Two-minute offense

Going into the two-minute drill at the end of the first half, the Bucs offense was methodical. Baker put on a clinic, hitting Mike Evans and Sterling Shepard for big gains before capping the drive with an 11-yard strike to Jalen McMllan for the score. Offensive coordinator Liam Coen called a beautiful drive and the players executed.

Run defense

While the passing game was cooking for the Cowboys, the running game was not having much success. Dallas tried to get the run going, but the Bucs defense was just too stingy to give up any yards. On 17 attempts, they managed just 28 yards on the day.

LG Ben Bredeson

Bredeson had a holding call on the first drive on a seven-yard scramble by Baker Mayfield that would have given the Bucs a fresh set of downs. The Bucs managed to convert, but it slowed the momentum and ended up turning the ball over on downs. Bredeson also gave up constant pressure on the night.

WR Sterling Shepard

Shepard had a bad drop on the first drive of the game on a 4th and 3 that would have converted a first down. Shepard had another bad drop on the Bucs’ second drive of the game on 3rd & 4 that would move the chains. He had a big catch of 20 yards, but injured his hamstring during the play, causing him to miss the rest of the game.

CB Zyon McCollum

McCollum was beaten by Lamb for a 52-yard catch and run in the waning minutes of the first half to set the Cowboys up for a score before the half. He was also called for holding the play. McCollum’s game was spotty all day and he, like so many others, struggled to tackle.

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