If undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels was supposed to struggle in his first road game, on a short week no less, somebody forgot to tell him. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback orchestrated a stunning 24-16 upset of the Dallas Cowboys on “Thursday Night Football” to open the NFL’s Week 5 in the most unpredictable fashion.

Although they surrendered a touchdown on the game’s opening drive, it was clear from the early going that the Buccaneers would be able to hang with the Cowboys, if not defeat them outright. The first time they touched the ball, they strung together the most methodical drive of the NFL season. Daniels completed all eight of his throws on the possession, which tied the most passes without a completion on any drive by a Tampa Bay quarterback in the last 35 years. With high-quality throws and ample help from some Cowboys penalties, the Buccaneers took 10:58 off the clock on a 15-play, 73-yard march to the end zone. It was the NFL’s longest drive in 19 years.

The Cowboys stood tall enough for the rest of the first half to take a 10-7 lead into the locker room, but their beleaguered defense was far too weak to hold onto that advantage.

In a complete reversal from their first drive of the game, the Buccaneers needed only one minute and two plays to open the second half with a touchdown. Running back Bucky Irving torched the leaky Cowboys on a 72-yard sprint to set up the score. Tampa Bay controlled the second half from there.

This was a three-dimensional beatdown at the hands of the previously winless Buccaneers. With two interceptions on defense and a fumble recovery from the kickoff team, Tampa Bay outplayed Dallas in every phase to secure its first victory of the season.

CBS Sports was with you throughout the Buccaneers’ victory. Below are our takeaways, plus in-game analysis and highlights.

Daniels dominates Dallas

If you didn’t know any better, you would have thought that Tampa Bay had a seasoned veteran at quarterback on Thursday night. Daniels ran the Buccaneers’ offense to pure perfection and is a major reason why the Buccaneers are no longer winless. 

Daniels showed flashes of his potential in Tampa Bay’s last two games, but he was plagued by three interceptions that included two in the Buccaneers’ 17-14 loss to Green Bay in Week 4. If Tampa Bay was going to upset Dallas, Daniels was going to have to take better care of the football. That’s exactly what happened. 

Daniels started the game by taking what the Cowboys’ defense gave him. Eventually, he started to attack the Cowboys’ defense downfield. One of his most impressive plays was a 27-yard completion to Emeka Egbuka on a third-and-21 play that helped Tampa Bay extend its lead to 24-10 late in the third quarter. 

Irving exploits Cowboys’ defense 

Tampa Bay was able to take advantage of a Cowboys defense that was 31st in the NFL in rushing yards allowed and 27th in average yards-per-carry allowed through four weeks. The Buccaneers (whose 4.4 yards-per-carry average through four games ranked 10th in the NFL) exploited Dallas’ run defense for 241 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries. 

Irving ran for a career-high 165 yards while posting his first 100-yard rushing performance since Week 16 of the 2024 season. His success impacted the game in a multitude of ways. It led to Buccaneers points, kept Dallas’ offense off the field and helped open things up for Daniels and the passing game. 

Bowles’ gamble pays off 

No one in the NFL felt more pressure to win this week than Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles, who was (and probably still is) on the hot seat following Tampa Bay’s 0-4 start. Bowles’ team, a 9.5-point underdog going into the game, outplayed Dallas seemingly from start to finish. 

Bowles showed faith in his team when he decided to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line with 8:36 left and the Buccaneers holding a 24-10 lead. While a field goal would have made it a three-possession lead, Bowles sent his offense back on the field. The decision initially backfired when Sean Tucker was stuffed for no gain. 

Dallas quickly marched 99 yards and made it a 24-16 game after missing a 2-point conversion. The Cowboys then forced a punt and had a chance to tie it up before Prescott threw his second interception of the night deep in Buccaneers territory. Irving then iced the game with a 22-yard run. 

While it looked bleak for a while, Bowles’ decision proved to be the right one. He trusted his team, and they responded by making the plays when it mattered most. 

Doomsday 

Doomsday used to refer to the Cowboys’ legendary defense. Now, it’s a word that can be used to sum up the state of America’s Team, who are now a disappointing 2-3. 

Let’s start with the defense. Daniels and Co. deserve a ton of credit for how they played, but Dallas’ defense made their jobs pretty easy at times. An example of this was Daniels’ 64-yard completion to Tez Johnson that extended Tampa Bay’s lead to 21-10. The Cowboys missed Joey Porter Jr., who was sick and missed the game. 

Speaking of cornerbacks, DaRon Bland missed a golden opportunity for a pick-six with 3:58 left. 

Offensively, the Cowboys completely gave up on the running game after their first series. Prescott was uncharacteristically off his game. He struggled with accuracy, completing just 52.2% of his passes. It didn’t help that CeeDee Lamb missed time in the second half with an injury.