The Tampa Bay Buccaneers earned their first win of the season on Thursday night, pulling off an upset win over the Dallas Cowboys.
The Bucs dominated the first three and a half quarters, before things suddenly got tight towards the end. It didn’t have to be that way.
A questionable decision by Todd Bowles gave the Cowboys a chance to get back into the game, and if the Bucs ended up losing, it would have gone down as one of the most indefensible coaching choices in recent memory. Luckily, Bowles’ players bailed him out and prevented a disaster.
Todd Bowles defends controversial fourth-down decision against Cowboys
Leading 24-10 and facing a fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line with eight minutes remaining, Bowles had a decision to make.
Either kick the field goal to extend the lead to make it a three-possession game, or go for the knockout punch with a touchdown.
Bowles decided to go for the dagger, but the Bucs got stuffed. Suddenly, the Cowboys had new life, down 24-10 with plenty of time to tie the game. Bowles’ decision immediately caused an uproar among fans who feared he might have just handed Dallas a golden ticket back into the game.
Love to see the Bucs going for the knockout punch, but a field goal there would have made it a 3-possession game.
— The Pewter Plank (@ThePewterPlank) October 9, 2026
Smarter move there would have been to kick it and extend the lead to 27-10, but hindsight is 20/20.
The Cowboys went 99 yards down the field and scored a touchdown, cutting the lead to 24-16.
Dallas then made another stop, got the ball back, and began driving to tie the game on the ensuing possession. Something catastrophic was brewing for Bowles and the Buccaneers.
The Cowboys got all the way into the red zone and had the Bucs on the ropes, but Alex Anzalone came up with a game-sealing interception to prevent a catastrophic ending.
During his postgame press conference, Bowles was asked about his decision to go for the fourth down conversion.
Todd Bowles on the controversial 4th and 1 decision that almost cost the Bucs pic.twitter.com/hA63MlKPDB
— The Pewter Plank (@ThePewterPlank) October 9, 2026
“We talked about it. It was less than a yard and the way we were running the football, we were trying to put the game away,” Bowles said.
On a surface level, that makes sense. The Bucs rushed for 6.2 yards per carry against the Cowboys. It was fair to gamble that they’d be able to get one yard.
But context matters. Bowles said he was trying to put the game away, and a field goal would’ve done just that.
The Buccaneers would have taken a 17-point lead with a field goal, but instead their failed fourth down try left the door open, even if just a crack, for the Cowboys to pull off an improbable comeback.
If the Bucs lose this game, it would be worse for Todd Bowles than if they had come out and lost by 50. Genuinely.
— Josh Crysler (@josh_crysler) October 9, 2026
It’s encouraging that Bowles wanted to give the offense a chance to stick a fork in the Cowboys and make a statement. But there’s a time and a place, and for a team as desperate for a win as the Buccaneers were, sometimes it’s okay to go the safe route.
Luckily, Bowles escapes unscathed, but he still needs to make smarter game-management choices going forward.
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