Bucky Irving powers Buccaneers past Cowboys 24-16

Tampa Bay's answer

Bucky Irving's ground game and Anzalone's late interception carried the Tampa Bay Buccaneers past the Dallas Cowboys 24-16 on Thursday, October 8, at AT&T Stadium.

Irving ran 21 times for 165 yards and a touchdown, while also catching Jalon Daniels' 5-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. His 72-yard burst to the Dallas 14 early in the third set up a 14-yard rushing touchdown, turning a 10-7 Dallas halftime lead into a Tampa Bay lead that would not disappear.

Daniels completed 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, giving Tampa Bay a controlled complement to Irving's long runs. The Buccaneers erased the early deficit with 17 third-quarter points and built their largest lead of 14 points.

Third-quarter control

Dallas struck first when Javonte Williams scored from 1 yard, then took a 10-7 edge into halftime on Aubrey's 41-yard field goal with 21 seconds left in the second quarter. But the Cowboys could not turn that edge into control after halftime; Prescott's opening-third-quarter interception gave Tampa Bay another chance to press its advantage.

Daniels found Tez Johnson for 64 yards to the Dallas 15 with 9:36 left in the third, a play that moved Tampa Bay's win probability from 33% to 51%. Irving later scored from 1 yard, and McLaughlin's 41-yard field goal made it 24-10 with 2:58 remaining in the quarter.

Prescott and George Pickens gave Dallas a late route back. Pickens caught nine passes for 130 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown with 5:26 left, and Dallas then drove 99 yards in 3:06 from its own 1 for that score; the two-point pass was incomplete, leaving the Cowboys down 24-16.

The numbers behind it

Tampa Bay's rushing attack supplied the difference: 241 yards and 0.31 EPA per rush. EPA measures expected points added on each play. The Buccaneers posted 0.14 EPA per play and a 55% success rate, the share of plays with positive EPA, as their 64 plays repeatedly put the game in Irving's hands.

Dallas had 366 passing and rushing yards, including Prescott's 316 through the air, but three turnovers undercut that production while Tampa Bay had none. The final one came when Anzalone intercepted Prescott at the Tampa Bay 12 with 1:22 left, swinging the Buccaneers' win probability from 78% to 97%.

The Buccaneers moved to 1-4 and host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, October 18. The Cowboys fell to 2-3 and visit the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, October 18.