The Cowboys reached Friday morning below .500 again after a 24–16 home loss to Tampa Bay on Thursday, Oct. 8. A Buccaneers team that arrived without a victory earned its first win, leaving Dallas 2–3 after five games.
The central problem was on the ground. Tampa Bay finished with 241 rushing yards and 419 total yards, according to the Cowboys’ official postgame report. Dallas owner and general manager Jerry Jones criticized the performance afterward, particularly the defense’s inability to stop runs between the tackles.
The result reversed the momentum from Dallas’ win in Houston just four days earlier. It also concluded a demanding stretch of three games in 11 days that began with a game in Rio de Janeiro. The Cowboys now have an extended interval before visiting Green Bay on Sunday, Oct. 18. Jones said the club would continue evaluating opportunities to improve its personnel rather than treating the losing record as a reason to abandon the season.
Tampa Bay’s official recap shows how quickly the game turned after halftime. Bucky Irving broke a 72-yard run, and Emeka Egbuka followed with a 14-yard rushing touchdown. A Dallas interception helped set up another Irving score, and a fumbled kickoff return gave the visitors another scoring opportunity. The Buccaneers scored on their first three possessions of the second half.
Dallas still created a late opening. After stopping Tampa Bay near the goal line, the Cowboys drove 99 yards and scored on Dak Prescott’s 18-yard pass to George Pickens. The two-point conversion failed, and Alex Anzalone’s interception with just over a minute remaining ended another Dallas possession.
