Cowboys wanting to capitalize versus a Baker-less Bucs group

The last time the Dallas Cowboys dealt with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the house (Week 16 of 2024), it was a quarterback fight in between Baker Mayfield and Cooper Rush for the home group. The time before that, it was the 2022 Wild Card video game in Tampa Bay – Dak Prescott versus Tom Brady. Now in Week 5 of 2026, we get yet another various QB match of Dak Prescott versus undrafted novice Jalon Daniels.

The one constant for the Buccaneers over this time has actually been head coach Todd Bowles, now in year 5. Last season was Bowles’ very first time not making the playoffs in Tampa, and currently his possibilities of doing so this season have actually taken an enormous hit with the group losing their very first 4 video games, along with Mayfield as their beginning QB.

The Bucs have actually stopped working to require to the identity a Todd Bowles group need to have, with the 3rd least sacks of any defense up until now this season with 6. The Giants, Chiefs, Eagles, and Dolphins have less, in addition to the Cowboys with 4.

In spite of this, their defense is the 2nd finest in the league behind just Seattle in portion of receptions quit that lead to an initially down. They are 3rd in hurrying lawns permitted and 2nd in lawns per bring, and as an outcome of all this have actually remained in 4 straight one-score video games. The only challenger to rating over 30 points on the Bucs up until now this season was the Bengals in Week 1, and Tampa themselves have actually not scored more than 27 (likewise because video game) up until now.

For this year’s Cowboys, betting Todd Bowles marks yet another defensive-oriented head coach for Brian Schottenheimer to plan versus at the start of this season. It has actually been 4 directly to reach this point currently, and the outcomes are a split down the middle at 2-2.

How the Cowboys offense figured things out on the fly to prevent a 1-3 start regardless of being down 16-6 recently in Houston versus DeMeco Ryans and the winless Texans might be motivating when it concerns indications of development versus these defense-first coaches, and something Dallas would invite in their return home for Thursday Night Football

Setting expectations as fans for a definitive win is often a bad concept that results in absolutely nothing however dissatisfaction, however there is buzz around Cowboys fans today that this video game might be a traditional example of an AT&T Stadium runaway where the offense stacks on points, the defense gets takeaways as an outcome, and the Cowboys cruise.

The Bucs will have some clear factors to believe this will not take place to them. In Daniels’ very first start recently versus the Green Bay Packers, the Bucs repaired their season-long red zone problems on offense and went 2-2 scoring goals. Even with tossing 2 interceptions, the Bucs played their closest video game of the season, just losing 17-14. A bit like the Cowboys, the Packers entered this video game requiring a win where they not just triumphed however looked actually excellent doing so, however did not get it in Florida.

The Cowboys offense is setting up chart-breaking numbers on points and performance regardless of having the least belongings in the league, so if this is undoubtedly the week they get their very first interception of the season, those additional ownerships might go a really, long method. The more concrete thing to try to find in this video game would be if the 2nd half momentum from the return in Houston rollovers versus Tampa Bay.

Entering into that video game, we mentioned how Dallas has actually traditionally dealt with groups playing in desperation mode, which the Texans currently were at 0-3. That definitely revealed itself for big stretches of that video game. A mix of the Texans depending on their 4 male hurries, which were getting home in the very first half however not even the video game went on, and after that getting exposed by Prescott when bringing additional rushes in the 2nd half, resulted in the Cowboys offense figuring things out to go on a game-winning drive.

The pressures must come early, frequently, and all over in between from a lot more desperate Bucs group. The Cowboys will require a sound defense strategy versus a group that will be hellbent on doing whatever they can to hold Prescott’s play down in order to have another shot to take a video game.

The Dallas offensive line is improving news entering this video game on Thursday, aiming to have actually left guard Tyler Smith back in the lineup. The additional assurance that the pocket will be tidy for Prescott will enable the Cowboys to pursue beginning cornerbacks Jacob Parrish and Zyon McCollum for the Bucs.

The Cowboys will be hoping their 4 video game body of work versus comparable protective difficulties approximately this point provides a possibility to stack 2 wins in 5 days, and put a bow on 3 video games in 12 days with a winning record.

After 2 long basket were missed out on in the Texans video game, scoring goals would be the very best method to do so, specifically offered how their last home video game versus the Buccaneers went. Dallas began the scoring with a 58-yard Brandon Aubrey basket, increased 13-7 on a 49-yard basket, and ended the very first half by increasing 23-14 with another 58-yarder. Another Aubrey make from 53 lawns was their only rating of the 2nd half.

As basic and borderline ridiculous as it is to state, goals will win this video game for the Cowboys, which would be a 3rd straight versus the Bucs. The Cowboys have actually not won 3 directly versus the Bucs given that winning 5 in a row from 2006-2012.

You need to go back even more though to discover the last time the Bucs won in Arlington with a quarterback not called Tom Brady. This was 2001 when Brad Johnson ran in a one-yard goal versus a Quincy Johnson-led Cowboys group to turn a 6-3 Dallas lead in a slugfest into a 10-6 Tampa win. This was the very first loss of the season for a Cowboys group that began 0-4 themselves.

Regardless of never ever making the playoffs as head coach of the Jets from 2015-2018, this 0-4 start to a season is the worst any Todd Bowles coached group has actually ever had, and possibility for the Cowboys training personnel to show a bit more they’re the best suitable for the task of taking this Cowboys group back to the playoffs by reaching 3-2 and sending out the Bucs to 0-5.