Buccaneers beat Cowboys 24-16 behind Bucky Irving's 165 rushing yards

Tampa Bay gets its first win

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 24-16 on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Tampa Bay improved to 1-4, and Dallas fell to 2-3.

Irving carries the offense

Bucky Irving was the engine of the Buccaneers’ offense, carrying the ball 21 times for 165 yards and a touchdown. He also caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jalon Daniels early in the second quarter to tie the game at 7-7.

Daniels completed 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards and one touchdown without an interception.

Third quarter swings it

Dallas took an early lead when Javonte Williams rushed for a one-yard touchdown in the first period, making it 7-0. Brandon Aubrey added a 41-yard field goal in the second quarter to give the Cowboys a 10-7 halftime advantage.

The Buccaneers scored 17 points in the third quarter. Emeka Egbuka rushed for a 14-yard touchdown, followed by Irving’s one-yard rushing score. Chase McLaughlin's 41-yard field goal made it 24-10.

Dallas comes up short

Dallas scored once more. George Pickens caught an 18-yard pass from Dak Prescott for a touchdown with 5:26 left, and a failed two-point conversion left the score at 24-16.

Prescott finished with 316 passing yards on 24-of-42 passing, including one touchdown and two interceptions. Pickens led all receivers with nine catches for 130 yards and his lone score. Javonte Williams contributed 45 rushing yards on 12 carries.

Tez Johnson had one catch for 64 yards for Tampa Bay.

The game drew 92,351 to AT&T Stadium.

Sources

ESPN