The Tampa Bay Buccaneers earned their first win of the season with a stunning 24-16 upset over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football.
The Bucs played their best game of the season on both sides of the ball, and while they started to lose ground late in the game, they had just enough in the tank to finish the job and leave Dallas with a victory that this team really needed.
10 gut reactions after Buccaneers defeat Cowboys 24-16 on Thursday Night Football
1. Bucky Irving put the offense on his back, rushing for 165 yards on 21 carries (7.9 YPC) and a touchdown. He also had a touchdown through the air on a five-yard receiving touchdown. If he can consistently run the football like this, the Bucs offense will be a force to be reckoned with down the stretch.
BUCKY. IRVING.pic.twitter.com/9VXzQmEdm6
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) October 9, 2026
2. Jalon Daniels looked like a seasoned veteran, and improved tenfold from his up-and-down debut just a few days ago. He finished an efficient 19-of-25 for 189 yards and a touchdown and added 23 yards on the ground. Most importantly, he took care of the football and avoided any turnovers, which helped the Bucs pull off the upset win.
3. David Walker had an incredible game and continues to emerge as Tampa Bay’s best pass rusher. It won’t show up in the stat sheet, as he finished with two tackles and a QB hit, but he consistently generated pressure and even deflected a pass that led to an interception.
4. Todd Bowles responded to the immense pressure by putting together a masterpiece of a defensive gameplan. To make the defensive performance even more impressive, they did it without Antoine Winfield Jr. Dak Prescott struggled against Bowles’ well-timed blitzes, and the Buccaneers prevented the Cowboys’ explosive passing attack from dictating the game. Bucs fans give Bowles a lot of flak, but his unit came through with a gritty performance in primetime.
5. Todd Bowles giveth, Todd Bowles taketh away. While his defense had a good night, he made a puzzling decision to go for it on fourth down rather than kicking a field goal to extend the lead to 27-10, which would have put the game away, barring a miracle. After that decision the walls started to close in as Dallas mounted a potential comeback attempt.
6. Luckily, Alex Anzalone saved the day with an interception to put an end to the comeback bid and avoid an all-time collapse. Anzalone started the season slow, but he’s starting to string together some solid games for this team.
Alex Anzalone seals an improbable win for the #Bucs, one they absolutely had to have. Their first one. pic.twitter.com/rx7vy83kMT
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 9, 2026
7. Zyon McCollum absolutely locked down CeeDee Lamb. In 10 one-on-one matchups, McCollum allowed zero receptions on one target and looked like the up-and-coming cornerback Tampa Bay gave a hefty three-year $48 million contract prior during the 2025 offseason.
8. Jacob Parrish had a strong game as well, leading the Buccaneers with nine tackles and four passes defended. He had his hands full covering the physical George Pickens, but he held his own with a gutsy performance.
9. Penalties continue to be a concern for this team that must be addressed, despite the win. The Buccaneers committed 14 penalties for 92 yards, and even had a 61-yard field goal nullified due to a boneheaded delay of game infraction. Everything went Tampa Bay’s way tonight, but they’ll have trouble winning many games committing double-digit penalties.
10. Lost in all of the excitement, left tackle Tristan Wirfs exited the game late with a knee injury. That’s something to monitor moving forward, as pass protection has been a weakness all season long, and the Bucs can’t afford to lose Wirfs for any extended time.
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