Week 5 · 2026
Bucky Irving’s 165 Yards Carry Tampa Bay Out of Dallas
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24 at Dallas Cowboys 16
Dallas Strikes First
Bucky Irving saw an opening in Dallas, and later he would turn it into the run that changed everything. Tampa Bay came in at 0-4, still looking for its first win. The Cowboys were 2-2 and hoped their rebuilt defense could help their high-powered offense win another close game. At first, Dallas looked ready to take control. Javonte Williams ran 21 yards through the middle, and George Pickens caught a 21-yard pass to the 8-yard line. Williams then powered in from 1 yard away for a 7-0 lead. Tampa Bay answered with a long drive, as Jalon Daniels escaped pressure and kept the play moving with his feet. Key catches by Chris Godwin Jr., Cade Otton, and Emeka Egbuka moved the ball forward. Early in the second quarter, Daniels found Irving for a 5-yard touchdown, tying the game.
One Run Changes Everything
Dallas regained the lead before halftime when Dak Prescott hit Ryan Flournoy for a 48-yard pass. Brandon Aubrey followed with a 41-yard field goal, and the Cowboys led 10-7 at the break. Yet Tampa Bay had not lost its focus, and Irving was about to give the game a sudden new direction. On the first play of the second half, Irving ran left, found space, and raced 72 yards to the Dallas 14-yard line. Two plays later, Egbuka ran around the left end for a 14-yard touchdown. In a few seconds, Tampa Bay had turned a three-point deficit into a 14-10 lead. Then a Tampa Bay linebacker intercepted Prescott’s pass, giving Daniels another chance. Daniels threw 64 yards to Tez Johnson, and Irving finished the short drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Tampa Bay Holds On
Dallas made its problem worse by fumbling the kickoff after Irving’s score. A fumble happens when a player loses the ball before the play ends, and Tampa Bay quickly got it back. The Buccaneers added a 41-yard field goal and led 24-10. Irving ran for 165 yards on 21 carries and also caught a touchdown pass. His strong runs helped Tampa Bay keep the ball for 39 minutes and 21 seconds, leaving Prescott on the sideline. Still, Dallas fought back. Its defense stopped Tampa Bay at the 1-yard line, and Prescott led a fast drive that ended with Pickens’s 18-yard touchdown catch. Pickens made nine catches for 130 yards, cutting the score to 24-16 with 5:26 left. Dallas reached the Tampa Bay 24 in the final minutes, but linebacker Alex Anzalone intercepted a pass meant for Jake Ferguson. That play ended the comeback and gave Tampa Bay its first win, 24-16. The Buccaneers moved to 1-4, while Dallas fell to 2-3.