10 thoughts on the Cowboys’ 26-24 wild Sunday night win over the Buccaneers
- I’m dreaming of the White fumble
Tampa had the ball on their own 26-yard line, needing 30-40 yards to get into game-winning field goal range, and the way they had moved the ball easily on their previous touchdown, it didn’t look good for the Cowboys. On their very first play of the drive, Baker Mayfield refused to go down and held the ball for what seemed like an eternity before pitching it to Rachaad White, who also refused to go down. Darren Bland finally brought him down, but not before taking the ball with him. It looked like the Cowboys were on the verge of collapse in the fourth quarter, but Bland transformed into the Grinch and put the game away.
- No run game, no problem
If someone told you the Buccaneers would have 100 yards more rushing than the Cowboys, you probably wouldn’t be surprised. Tampa’s rushing attack is terrible and the Cowboys have struggled recently until the arrival of Rico Dowdle. Of course, you might conclude that the Cowboys were simply blown away, but that’s not what happened. The Bucs outgained Dallas on the ground by 134 yards to 31, thanks to a lot of help from Mayfield, who struggled to 42 rushing yards himself. But despite the large margin, the Cowboys came out on top.
- Jolly Old McCarthy There’s a lot of talk about Mike McCarthy’s future in Dallas. While that’s still ongoing, one thing is for sure, this Cowboys team is fighting for them. On Sunday night, the head coach did a lot of things right. The penalties weren’t too bad (five of them), he was passing on first downs, the play-calling was effective, and his group was resolute throughout.
- Let them throw, let them throw, let them throw The absence of a rushing attack was less than ideal, but the Cowboys’ offense did have success through the air. And it wasn’t just easy dump-offs/bubble screens (although there was some of that), the Cowboys did take some shots down the field. Four Cowboys players had receptions for at least 20 yards, including a spectacular reception from the team’s best receiver, CeeDee Lamb. It was great to see that at least the offensive players showed they were willing to stretch the field and take deep shots and they looked good doing it.
- No silent 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’re scoring points. While there were times when the Bucs easily marched down the field against the Cowboys’ defense, there were also times when the defense held them back. What’s even more impressive about this is that the Cowboys were doing this with players like Linval Joseph, Chauncey Golston, Nick Vigil, and Amani Oruwariye. The Cowboys had to work very hard and, amazingly, everyone was making plays. It was a total effort from this underdog group.
- Running Through the O
This game had a long list of defenders, but a few players who were keeping the wood down were Donovan Wilson and Marist Liufau. Both of these guys hit receivers well that forced the ball out. Liufau, who is now seeing more action after the team lost DeMarvion Overshown, forced a fumble for the second week in a row. It looked like Wilson forced a fumble as well, but Mayfield was brought down before the ball came out. 7. Too Close
The close strip by Wilson was the second instance of the Cowboys almost forcing a takeaway in this game. Earlier, reserve linebacker Nick Vigil leapt on a loose ball, but didn’t have control of the ball before going out of bounds. The defense missed two big game-changing plays, but it still shows how passionately they were playing and were rewarded in the end.
- Ho ho holy cow, Jourdan Lewis!Tampa’s comeback attempts continued to fail and it seemed like it was just a matter of time before they could pull it off. The Cowboys defense thwarted their plans and nothing was more satisfying than a remarkable interception by veteran cornerback Jourdan Lewis. Mayfield launched the ball 50 yards into the end zone for Jalen McMillan, but Lewis somehow, incredibly, managed to catch it.
- Old Reliable Are you tired of hearing the broadcast crew talk about Brandon Oubre? No? Me neither. Oubre capped his stellar game by knocking down all four of his field goal attempts. Three were over 50 yards (the other was a 49-yarder). During the game, he tied with Houston Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn for most 50+ field goals in a season by making 14 and later surpassed him. Only one of these kickers finished the year with this honor.
- The Grinch Beating the Bucs would put the Falcons on top of the NFC South and make things interesting in the final two weeks of the season. The Cowboys could continue to play with the Grinch and impact the playoff picture with games against Philadelphia and Washington. With the Cowboys giving their best, they could play a decisive role
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