3 things we learned from the Cowboys vs Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers just handed the Dallas Cowboys their worst loss of the season. Here are three things we learned about the Cowboys during the game.

Coming into this week, nearly the entire globe picked the Dallas Cowboys to win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a convincing fashion. Instead, the winless Buccaneers came into the Cowboys home and dominated them.

The game took off fast for Dallas with a touchdown on the opening drive. And then we sat dazed and confused as the Cowboys offense would only put up another three points until 5:26 left in the fourth quarter. The offense that was self-coined as the “Greatest Offense There Is” looked woefully prepared to deal with the Tampa Bay blitz.

In this week’s pregame article we noted that the only viable path for the Buccaneers defense was to blitz Dak Prescott as a high rate. But that tactic would be a double-edged sword since Dak has been one of the league’s best in dealing with the blitz. The gamble paid off for Tampa Bay as the quarterback was under duress from free blitzers throughout the entire night. It affected him and the offense all night. Timings were thrown off, passes were tipped, and at times, Prescott struggled putting the ball where it needed to be.

On the other side of the ball, we know the defense is bad. But they had been taking micro steps towards improvement each and every week. This week the defense held on for a while, but completely folded in the third quarter. Mistake after mistake added up, ranging from missed tackles to dropped interceptions. This unit just didn’t do much right in the second half.

Late in the game, Dallas had a golden opportunity to tie it up and have a second life in overtime.

DaRon Bland broke on a short pass at the sticks in prime Bland fashion, but allowed the ball to bounce right through his hands and onto the ground. That was an easy pick-six which would have put the score at 24-22. We’ve seen the veteran corner make that play with ease earlier in his career. But on a night where seemingly little went the Cowboys way, this was just one more thing to add to the list.

Even after that drop, Dallas had the ball in Tampa Bay territory with another chance at a game-tying touchdown. After a drive where the offense went 99 yards to score, they were once again driving with ease. Dak looked like his normal self, George Pickens was making plays – even KaVontae Turpin and Jonathan Mingo got involved.

But on a fateful second-and-one throw, Jake Ferguson popped a Dak Prescott dart into the air and into the arms of a defender, essentially sealing the win for the Buccaneers. “Of course” was the phrase uttered around Cowboys nation after the dropped pass.

Regardless of what occurred during the first 52 minutes of the game, Dallas put together a game-changing goal line stand, a 99-yard touchdown drive, and had two clear chances at tying it up. Unfortunately, this team couldn’t make the plays when they mattered the most.

When Dallas opened the game with a nine-play, 70-yard drive, the run game looked completely renewed. Javonte Williams had a huge gain of 21 yards and eventually would punch it in the endzone from the one. But through the remainder of the night, the Cowboys run game just about disappeared. Dallas would eventually abandon the run altogether, as they finished with 50 yards on 13 carries.

At times, we saw push from the left side of the offensive line, but it was extremely inconsistent. There were too many negative run plays that put the Cowboys behind the sticks. Just as it impacted Prescott and the pass game, the Buccaneers blitz just didn’t allow much movement on the ground either.

Expect Dallas’ rushing attack to improve as the offensive line grows and gels with Smith’s return. But for tonight, it was not close to where this offense needs it to be.