The Tampa Bay Buccaneers roll into Dallas for a Thursday Night Football clash against the Cowboys as a desperate football team. 

The Bucs are still searching for their first win of the season, and time is running out to give any life to what looks like a lost season. If Tampa wants to pull off the upset on Thursday, the Bucs will have to play their best game of the season. 

If they don’t, it may be time to start looking ahead to next year. The organization needs to figure out what changes must be made after what has thus far been a complete failure of what was expected to be a bounce-back season. 

Much like last week against the Green Bay Packers, the Bucs will be taking on a quality opponent while at much less than full strength. 

The Bucs are getting first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. back this week after a two-game absence. He is looking to finally get his career off the ground after two disappointing games. Unfortunately, Tampa will still be without quarterback Baker Mayfield and cornerback Benjamin Morrison, who are both missing their second straight game. They will be joined on the sideline by star safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who is expected to miss 2-4 weeks with a broken rib, and linebacker SirVocea Dennis, who was injured against Green Bay. 

The Bucs are hoping to get a better performance from undrafted rookie QB Jalon Daniels, who will be making his second NFL start. 

Tampa is facing a Cowboys team that the Bucs' head coach, Todd Bowles, called the “most physically gifted” opponent his club will see all season. 

To win, the Bucs will have to overcome long odds. They are 8.5-point underdogs for Thursday’s contest. 

Is a win impossible? Of course not. I have laid out my five keys to a Bucs victory. If Tampa takes care of those five aspects of the game, the Bucs can pull off a shocker in Dallas. 

But it will be very difficult. 

The Cowboys have one of the NFL’s most potent offenses. Led by QB Dak Prescott and the star wide receiver duo of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, as well as running back Javonte Williams, who already has five rushing touchdowns, Dallas can put up points in a hurry. 

Tampa’s defense will have to show up in a big way to slow the Cowboys’ offense. The Bucs are not built to win a shootout, so they probably have to limit the Cowboys to a maximum of 24 points to even give their offense a chance. 

Good luck. 

As has been the case for quite some time, the Cowboys’ defense is playing at nowhere near the level of the offense. Through four games, Dallas ranks near the bottom of the NFL in most defensive categories. 

They are 30th in yards per game, 28th in points per game, 24th in passing yards per game, and 31st in rushing yards per game. Dallas has only recorded four sacks all season, the fewest in the league. 

The Bucs’ offense should be licking its chops this week, but it has struggled all season, averaging only 19 points per game (25th). Tampa’s output has decreased in each of its four games, from 27 in Week 1 down to a season-low 14 last week. 

Hopefully, Tampa's offense can take advantage of the porous Dallas defense. The Bucs, who have committed nine turnovers so far, must take care of the ball to have any chance. 

If the offense can finally start to click, the Bucs have a shot at the upset. 

However, winning a prime-time game on the road in only his second career start is a lot to ask of Daniels. 

I believe Daniels will be better this week, and the offense will have a few moments against Dallas. But ultimately, I think the Bucs will come up short once again and drop to 0-5. 

Prediction: Cowboys 34, Bucs 23