8 winners (and 2 losers) from Buccaneers' thrilling win over Cowboys in Week 5

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered Thursday night 0-4 and desperate for a win.

Facing a red-hot Cowboys team on the road in primetime had all the makings of an embarrassment in front of a national audience. The Bucs were heavy underdogs, and the matchup didn’t bode well for them. 

But Tampa Bay came to play, delivering their best performance of the year in all three phases and pulled off a shocking upset to finally get in the win column. Several Buccaneers carried the team on their backs to make this victory possible, while others left a lot to be desired. 

Winners & Losers after Buccaneers’ upset win over Cowboys in Week 5

Winner: RB Bucky Irving

Irving had the best game of his career, rushing for 165 yards and a touchdown while adding a receiving touchdown.

Tampa Bay’s plan was to run the ball and take pressure off of rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels while also controlling the clock and keeping a dangerous Cowboys offense off the field.

It worked like a charm, as Irving’s efficiency allowed the Bucs to dominate the time of possession, and he was the main force driving the victory.

Winner: QB Jalon Daniels

Daniels looked like an inexperienced undrafted rookie quarterback on Sunday, but just a few days later on a short week, he looked like a seasoned veteran in primetime.

Daniels finished 19-of-25 with 189 yards and a touchdown, along with 23 rushing yards.

Most importantly, he didn’t turn the ball over and took what the defense gave him, which paid dividends for the Buccaneers.

Loser: Buccaneers’ self-inflicted wounds 

The Buccaneers committed 14 penalties for 92 yards, with the majority being called on the offensive line. It’s not easy to win a football game when you’re committing double-digit penalties and surrendering almost an entire football field in yardage.

They even had points taken off the board after a 61-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal was nullified by a delay of game penalty.

The Bucs got away with it this time, but they really need to clean up the self-inflicted wounds if they want to string together more wins.

Winner: CB Zyon McCollum

McCollum was phenomenal, going head-to-head with CeeDee Lamb and holding him without a catch in their 10 one-on-one matchups.

McCollum has quietly had a great start to the season, holding his own against some of the NFL’s top wide receivers. 

Winner: CB Jacob Parrish

Parrish was beaten a few times, but he continued to fight and led the team in both tackles (nine) and passes defended (four).

He’s a feisty, physical player that plays much bigger than his 5-foot-10 frame and is proving to be the Buccaneers’ best cover corner.

Winner: Todd Bowles

Bowles put together a flawless defensive gameplan, and his players executed for him. 

Bowles’ blitzes had Dak Prescott all out of rhythm and they held CeeDee Lamb to two catches for nine yards just a week after he had 17 catches (yes, you read that right) for 189 yards against the Texans.

The stat sheet won’t back it up, as Prescott finished with over 300 yards and George Pickens finished with 130 yards, but the Bucs held a Cowboys team averaging 30 points per game to just 16 points and intercepted Prescott twice. Make no mistake, this was a statement for Bowles’ unit. 

Loser: Todd Bowles

Nope, that’s not an error. Bowles’ defensive gameplan got him in the winner’s column, but his game management landed him in the loser’s column.

Up 24-10 in the fourth quarter, Bowles opted to go for it on fourth down from the one-yard line, rather than kicking a field goal to make it a three-possession game and put it out of reach.

The Cowboys made it 24-16 and almost pulled off a comeback, which would have been an absolute nightmare for Bowles but luckily, his team bailed him out. 

Winner: S Tykee Smith

The pressure was on for Smith to step up as the team’s top safety with Antoine Winfield Jr. out with a rib injury.

Smith shined as a blitzer, recording a team-high five pressures and disrupting the Cowboys’ passing attack.

He also had four total tackles, putting together a whale of a game when the bucs needed him most.

Winner: LB Alex Anzalone

Anzalone has gone from the face of the loser’s column to a weekly staple in the winner’s column. He’s rebounded nicely from a poor start to his Tampa Bay career and played his way back into the good graces of the fanbase.

Just when it looked like the Buccaneers were going to implode, Anzalone came up with a game-sealing interception to end a potential game-tying drive by the Cowboys.

In addition to his interception, Anzalone had five tackles. He was the unlikely hero of tonight’s contest and played a key role in the Bucs leaving Dallas with a victory.

Winner: CB Keionte Scott

Scott was a tackling machine in the defensive backfield with seven total tackles, including one for loss, and a pass defended.

His biggest play of the day was a pass broken up on the Cowboys’ two-point conversion attempt to keep it an eight-point game.

The rookie is coming along nicely, and is becoming a reliable member of this improved Bucs secondary.

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