Earlier today, Dallas was officially eliminated from playoff contention. This took the air out of their matchup with the Buccaneers for many, but the players were still ready for battle, leading to a 26–24 Cowboys win in this matchup.
This was one of the cleaner games we’ve seen from an otherwise struggling Dallas team. They competed hard against a good opponent for all four quarters.
In all three phases, we saw a motivated, strong performance by the Cowboys.
Despite the long list of injuries, being eliminated from reaching their goal, and the prowess of this Buccaneers team, these guys fought tooth and nail from the beginning kick to the final snap.
There were a few specific things that stood out from this upset victory in AT&T Stadium, so let’s talk about it.
Cooper Rush’s Big Night
There was one highlight of this game that you could not miss, and that was the performance of Quarterback Cooper Rush.
The seven-year NFL veteran had his best performance of the season, throwing for 292 yards, one touchdown, and avoiding an interception for the second week in a row. Rush filled up the stat sheet in this one.
He had the offense humming early, as Dallas had their highest-scoring first quarter of the year.
That initial 10-0 lead grew stronger in the second quarter, as Dallas put up 13 points with a pair of Brandon Aubrey field goals and Ezekiel Elliott’s 71st rushing touchdown as a Cowboy.
The common thread throughout these drives was Rush’s efficient passing, as he marched the Cowboys’ offense past the 50-yard line time and time again.
Rush has had his ups and downs this year, and he is clearly a backup-level quarterback, but you have to respect the effort he put forward in this Cowboys win.
Dominant Defensive Performance
How about that Dallas defense? That was one of, if not the best performances the unit has had all year long.
Facing one of the NFL’s high-powered offenses, the Cowboys held the Buccaneers to just 24 points. They created consistent pressure on Baker Mayfield, flew around the field, and forced critical stops.
The unit came up with four sacks, that fantastic interception by Jourdan Lewis, and DaRon Bland’s forced fumble out of Rachaad White’s hands to seal the victory.
At times, the unit was bent, but they rarely broke. Tampa Bay had to settle for two field goals in this one; if even one of those was a touchdown, Dallas would have lost 27-26.
The total yardage from the Bucs was high in this Week 16 battle, but if you watched, you saw how on fire the defense was playing.
Dallas’s defense was a main catalyst in this Cowboys win, and they deserve their flowers.
The Bottom Line
With the Commanders’ victory today, this win won’t statistically mean anything except a worse draft pick for Dallas. That said, what we saw from this team was a major morale victory in an otherwise disappointing season.
They battled from the jump, appearing determined as ever to come out with an upset win at home.
Make no mistake folks, the Buccaneers are a good team with a great offense. What the Cowboys were able to do tonight is an impressive feat.
Dallas moves to 7-8, and they will face off against Washington and Philadelphia to end their 2024 campaign. Both of those matchups will be tough, so if this is the last Cowboys win of the year, they sure went out with a bang.