The Tampa Bay Buccaneers square off against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football, desperately seeking their first win of the season. 

At 0-4, the season appears lost. The Bucs had high expectations for this year, including reclaiming the NFC South division and returning to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus. 

That seems like a pipe dream after the season’s first month. Tampa has looked closer to the worst team in the league than to a playoff team. 

Starting quarterback Baker Mayfield remains out with the dislocated thumb he suffered late in Week 3. The offensive line was supposed to be one of the NFL’s best, but has given up the most sacks in the league (16) through four weeks, despite Tristan Wirfs somehow being PFF’s highest-graded pass-blocker so far. The pass rush has disappointed even after all the additions the Bucs made to the defensive front seven this offseason. 

Nothing has gone right for Tampa this year. However, a two-game hole in the division with 13 games left to play shouldn’t be insurmountable for any team. Unfortunately, these Bucs have shown nothing to make anyone believe they can turn things around. 

If the Bucs want any chance at all to keep their season on life support, they must find a way to beat the Cowboys, whom head coach Todd Bowles called the “most physically gifted team” Tampa will face all season. 

Let’s check out how Tampa can pull off the upset. 

1. Help Jalon Daniels: The undrafted rookie will be making his second-career start in place of the injured Mayfield. In Tampa’s Week 4 loss to the Green Bay Packers, Daniels had the kind of game one would expect from a rookie making his first NFL start. There were a few mistakes throughout the game, but the 23-year-old flashed his talent and made a few plays with both his arm and his legs. 

Daniels got no help from his offense last week. The line, running backs, receivers, and tight ends all failed to step up and take some of the burden off Daniels’ shoulders. 

That can’t happen again. The rest of the offense must pick up the slack and pick up their rookie QB. The coaches could also do Daniels a favor by getting the run game going early and calling a few early screen passes to explosive RBs Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell to help Daniels get into an early rhythm. 

2. Offensive Line Must Improve: Nothing the coaches or other players do to help Daniels will mean anything if the offensive line continues to disappoint. Dallas has only four sacks through their first four games. Tampa must not allow the Cowboys’ pass rush to get going. Giving Daniels time is absolutely necessary for the Bucs to pull out a win. 

3. Slow Down CeeDee Lamb: In four games, Lamb has already racked up 37 catches, 498 yards, and four touchdowns. Both the receptions and yards lead the NFL, and the four receiving scores are tied for third. 

Containing Lamb will be a huge challenge for Tampa cornerbacks Zyon McCollum and Jacob Parrish. It’s not like the Bucs’ secondary can give Lamb all its attention with George Pickens lined up on the other side. CB Benjamin Morrison will be missing his second straight game with a quad injury, putting even more pressure on McCollum and Parrish. 

4. Diversify The Run Game: The Bucs have three capable running backs in Irving, Gainwell, and Sean Tucker. However, only Irving has had a major role in the run game. He has 56 carries, while Gainwell has only 13, and Tucker just got his only three rushes of the season last week against the Packers. 

Zac Robinson needs to start spreading the ball around more to all three backs. 

5. Win The Turnover Battle: As always, turnovers will be key. Getting takeaways is usually a major factor in any big upset. The Bucs are 8.5-point underdogs in this contest and will need a few things to go their way. Winning the turnover battle is one of them. 

Unfortunately, that is much easier said than done. Through four games, Tampa has committed a staggering nine turnovers and forced only four. Meanwhile, the Cowboys have done a great job of taking care of the football, committing only two turnovers all season. Their defense has struggled to create takeaways, however, recovering two fumbles and has yet to record an interception. 

If Tampa’s offense can play a clean game and the defense can force a couple turnovers, the Bucs have a chance to earn their first victory.