Dallas took a lead into halftime Thursday. Fifteen minutes later, the Cowboys needed two touchdowns to get back in the game.
Tampa Bay’s 17–0 third quarter turned a 10–7 Dallas advantage into a 24–10 deficit, the decisive stretch of the Buccaneers’ 24–16 win at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Oct. 8, 2026. Dallas fell to 2–3; Tampa Bay earned its first victory and improved to 1–4.
The scoring sequence tells the story more clearly than the one-possession final margin. Emeka Egbuka’s 14-yard rushing touchdown put Tampa Bay ahead. Bucky Irving followed with a 1-yard touchdown run, and Chase McLaughlin’s 41-yard field goal completed the visitors’ scoring for the night.
Irving did more than finish a drive. The Buccaneers’ official game log credits him with 165 rushing yards on 21 carries, an average of 7.9 yards, including a 72-yard gain. He also caught two passes for 10 yards and scored on a 5-yard reception from Jalon Daniels in the second quarter. His two touchdowns came in different ways: one rushing, one receiving.
