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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had their backs against the wall heading to Dallas on a short week to take on the Dallas Cowboys for Thursday Night Football.

Unlike every other game this season, there was finally some good things happening on the field for the Buccaneers, who managed to pull out an impressive 24-16 victory in Dallas.

Let's get right into the good, the bad and the ugly.

Good

Oct 8, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jalon Daniels (10) reacts after a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jalon Daniels

Daniels' career night started on the opening drive where, despite some mental lapses, Daniels led the longest drive for the Buccaneers' franchise since Jeff Garcia in 2007. He completed 8/8 passes for 49 yards and a TD on 15 plays in almost an entire quarter.

Daniels is 1-of-2 undrafted rookie quarterbacks since 1991 – and the first since 2013 – to earn a 100.0% completion percentage in a single quarter, while completing seven-or-more passes (also Matt McGloin, third quarter, 12/15/13 vs. Kansas City). https://t.co/vWKcc4ifXq

— Buccaneers Communications (@BuccaneersComms) October 9, 2026

Daniels was excellent throughout this game. Was he perfect? No. But he did more than enough to put his team in a position to win a road game they absolutely had to have.

Although he looked a little too patient in the pocket early on, Daniels seemed to really settle into a nice rhythm in terms of his pocket poise, timing, and decisions about when to look downfield and when to tuck it and run.

Despite possessing a big arm and the speed to be a dual-threat quarterback, Daniels resisted the temptation to play hero ball and instead played like a seasoned game manager tonight, taking care of the football and controlling the clock, which is exactly what his team needed.

Run Game

Through the first few weeks of the season, Bucky Irving looked like the team's only true weapon on offense. Tonight, Bucky looked like the team's best weapon, but it felt like he was finally getting some help from his offensive line and offensive coordinator.

The Cowboys' defense has struggled mightily this season, but this is still an NFL defense, and the Bucs made them look like they weren't when they handed it off. Irving looked electric in this game and showed just how dangerous he can be when given some half-decent lanes to run through.

The Bucs totaled a whopping 243 yards rushing in this game while averaging over six yards per carry as a team. Bucky Irving himself rushed for 165 yards on just 21 carries.

Cornerbacks

The Bucs' defense played a really solid game vs. the Cowboys. Most impressive was the performance of their cornerback room, with Jacob Parrish, Zyon McCollum and Tykee Smith all having a significant impact on the Cowboys' production through the air.

Jacob Parrish has recorded three-plus passes defensed in a game for the first time in his NFL career.

Parrish's six passes defensed on the season are tied for the fourth-most across the NFL this season (teammate Zyon McCollum is also tied for 4th).

— Buccaneers Communications (@BuccaneersComms) October 9, 2026

Zac Robinson

Had it not been for Todd Bowles' atrocious game management decisions, the Bucs would have likely hit the 30-point plateau for the first time this year. Zac Robinson has had a really rough start to his debut as the Bucs' OC, but he was in a tough spot trying to alter his offensive game plan to suit an undrafted rookie quarterback playing the Dallas Cowboys on the road.

Although Daniels executed, it needs to be acknowledged that Robinson put together a game plan that allowed the dynamic but inexperienced rookie quarterback to perform at his peak so early in his career. Robinson mixed the run with the pass really well on Thursday night, and the Bucs dominated the game on the ground throughout.

Bad

Oct 4, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs (78) before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bucs' Best Player Injured?

It's important to note that although Tristan Wirfs did leave the game with some sort of lower-body injury on two different occasions in the second half, he did return to finish the game.

Still, there's little doubt that Wirfs is the best player on the roster, regardless of position, and if the Buccaneers were to lose him for any period of time, it would be a catastrophic hit to a team that is trying to dig their way out of a very deep hole.

Unsure if it was non-contact or not here. Thought at first he got rolled up on but not really the case. pic.twitter.com/8rPNALXTf2

— Logan B. Robinson (@LogansTwitty) October 9, 2026

Ugly

Aug 22, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Todd Bowles' Game Management

With 3:47 left in the first half and the game tied 7-7, Todd Bowles' indecision cost the Buccaneers three points. The Bucs were facing a third-and-six from around midfield after a Tristan Wirfs false start penalty set them back. Initially, it appeared as though Bowles might be planning to punt the ball away, but then he changed his mind and sent out the field goal unit so McLaughlin could attempt a 61-yarder.

Unfortunately, it took the Bucs too long to get set up for the kick, and Bowles did not use a timeout to buy his team enough time to recalibrate. Bowles' lack of decisiveness — something that has plagued Bowles throughout his tenure in Tampa Bay as a head coach — directly resulted in a delay-of-game penalty, which took the Buccaneers out of field goal range and ultimately cost them points they desperately needed.

Absolutely unbelievable levels of incompetence lol. A high school coach would be embarrassed to mess that up

— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) October 9, 2026

With 8:36 left in the game and the Buccaneers leading 24-10, Bowles decided to go for it on fourth-and-goal as opposed to kicking the FG to make it a three-score game. The perplexing decision was one that not only reflects Bowles' lack of familiarity with holding a lead this year, but also contradicts his profile as an overly conservative decision-maker on fourth downs.

Throughout the first four weeks of the season, it could be argued that the Buccaneers lost in large part because of Bowles. On Thursday, they won a crucial road victory despite some terrible game management decisions he made,

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