Bucky Irving Ran for 165 Yards and Rookie Jalon Daniels Won His First Start as the Buccaneers Beat the Cowboys 24-16

Tampa Bay had lost four games to open the season, its starting quarterback was out with a hurt thumb and the man replacing him was an undrafted rookie making his second start. Then the Buccaneers went to Arlington on Thursday night and ran over the Dallas Cowboys, 24-16, for their first win of 2026. The result leaves the Bucs at 1-4 and Dallas at 2-3, according to the Associated Press report.

The star was Bucky Irving. The running back carried 21 times for 165 yards, a 7.9-yard average, and scored twice, once on a 1-yard run and once on a 5-yard catch. It was his first 100-yard game since 2024. As a team the Bucs ran for 241 yards.

How did Tampa Bay come back from 10-7 at halftime?

Dallas led 10-7 at the break, after Brandon Aubrey's 41-yard field goal with 21 seconds left, per CBS Sports's live coverage. The second half belonged to Tampa Bay. Irving ran 72 yards on the first play of the half, and Emeka Egbuka scored on a 14-yard jet sweep. A 64-yard catch-and-run by Tez Johnson set up Irving's 1-yard touchdown for a 21-10 lead, and Chase McLaughlin's 41-yard field goal made it 24-10, according to the Buccaneers' own recap.

Along the way, KaVontae Turpin fumbled the kickoff that followed Johnson's catch, and the Bucs turned it into points after converting a third-and-21 on a pass from Daniels to Egbuka. The Tampa Bay defence ended the night with three takeaways.

What did Jalon Daniels do?

Daniels completed 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown. In his debut he had thrown three interceptions in a 17-14 loss to Green Bay, so a steadier night mattered. The AP said he was filling in for Baker Mayfield, who has a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand and is expected to miss at least one more game.