Cowboys Recap & Takeaways: Dallas Implodes Against Winless Bucs in 24-16 Loss

The Dallas Cowboys could've climbed above .500 Thursday night for the first time since Thanksgiving of last year. Instead, they handed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers their first victory of the season.

An 0-4 opponent. An undrafted rookie making his second start, first on the road. National television.

Dallas fell 24-16 at AT&T Stadium, dropping to 2-3 after surrendering 17 unanswered third-quarter points and committing three turnovers.

Dak Prescott threw two interceptions, and Bucky Irving broke loose for 72 yards.

There's George!

Prescott found George Pickens twice for 29 yards on the opening possession. Javonte Williams broke a beautifully blocked 21-yard run before finishing the nine-play, 70-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown.

7-0 Dallas.

Reddy Steward showed excellent pursuit against Emeka Egbuka, while Jaishawn Barham made several stops against Irving.

Shemar James even sacked Jalon Daniels on third down ... except DaRon Bland was flagged for defensive holding.

Shavon Revel Jr. later committed illegal contact, extending a Tampa Bay possession Dallas had several chances to end.

The Buccaneers reached the red zone before the quarter expired.

1. That's how you start fast - Pickens looked sharp, Williams had room to run, and the offensive line gave Prescott a clean opening.

2. Barham continues to impress - The rookie's pursuit and downhill instincts made him a problem for Irving early.

3. Just get off the field - Dallas kept making defensive plays, then erasing them with penalties. Those missed chances added up.

Daniels found Irving for a five-yard touchdown, completing a 15-play, 73-yard drive that consumed 10:58.

7-7.

Dallas forced a three-and-out on Tampa Bay's next possession. Unfortunately, its offense followed the opening touchdown with three consecutive punts.

One drive stalled after Prescott threw three straight incompletions intended for CeeDee Lamb.

Ryan Flournoy finally provided a spark with a 48-yard reception, setting up Brandon Aubrey's 41-yard field goal.

10-7 Dallas at halftime.

1. Eleven minutes is ridiculous - The defense had multiple chances to stop Daniels, yet Tampa Bay's first possession swallowed nearly an entire quarter.

2. Where did the offense go? - Three consecutive punts made the impressive opening drive feel like a distant memory.

3. Flournoy provides a spark - His 48-yard catch salvaged the half. Settling for a field goal, though, left Tampa Bay within striking distance.

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Remember that promising run defense?

Well ... that didn't last.

Irving ripped off 72 yards on Tampa Bay's first snap after halftime, setting up Egbuka's 14-yard touchdown run.

14-10 Buccaneers.

Prescott answered with a 27-yard completion to Pickens before his third-down pass bounced off Flournoy and into Yaya Diaby's hands.

Interception.

Daniels then found Tez Johnson for 64 yards following blown coverage. Irving finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown.

21-10.

KaVontae Turpin fumbled the ensuing kickoff return, handing Tampa Bay another possession in Dallas territory. Chase McLaughlin added a 41-yard field goal.

Dallas' next drive ended on downs.

Seventeen unanswered third-quarter points ... against a winless team.

1. So much for the run defense - Irving's 72-yard burst undid much of Dallas' solid early work against the ground game.

2. A familiar Prescott interception - Flournoy couldn't secure the pass, and Diaby capitalized. It wasn't solely on Prescott, but the timing was brutal.

3. When it rains, it pours - Blown coverage and Turpin's fumble turned a four-point deficit into a 14-point hole before Dallas could respond.

Dallas wasn't finished.

Barham stuffed Sean Tucker on fourth-and-goal at the Cowboys' 1-yard line, ending an eight-minute Tampa Bay drive with 8:32 remaining.

Prescott responded with a 99-yard march. A deep attempt to Jonathan Mingo fell incomplete, but Pickens delivered an 18-yard touchdown.

24-16.

Lamb returned to the field for the failed two-point attempt after moving in and out of the lineup during the game — a confusing sequence given the injury concerns.

The defense forced another third down. Bland jumped Daniels' pass toward Egbuka, with a potential pick-six in front of him.

He dropped it.

The NFL's single-season pick-six record holder, whose $22.5 million annual contract average ranks 10th among cornerbacks, couldn't secure the interception that might've given Dallas a chance to tie.

Tampa Bay punted anyway.

Prescott moved Dallas into Buccaneers territory, only for his pass to bounce off Jake Ferguson's hands and into Alex Anzalone's at the Tampa Bay 12.

Interception. Again.

Irving gained 22 yards, Daniels took two knees, and Tampa Bay had its first win.

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1. Where was that offense all night? - Prescott's 99-yard touchdown drive proved Dallas could move the ball. That urgency arrived too late.

2. DaRon Bland. Of all people. - The man who set the pick-six record dropped a potential defensive touchdown with the game hanging in the balance. Of course.

3. The 2022 flashbacks continue - Ferguson's deflection recalled Prescott's overtime interception off Noah Brown's hands against Jacksonville, returned for the winning touchdown.

The Cowboys have seen versions of this before — the Green Bay playoff collapse, the Chicago embarrassment, those baffling Arizona losses.

Different opponents ... many of the same mistakes.

Dallas had a goal-line stand, a 99-yard touchdown drive and an opportunity for a defensive score. None of it was enough.

The Cowboys couldn't catch the interception that might've saved them.

The Buccaneers caught the one that finished them.