Notable headlines surrounding America’s Team.
Cooper Rush shines as Cowboys win 26-24 over Buccaneers- Mark Heaney, Inside The Star
Despite being eliminated from the playoffs, Dallas comes through.
Cooper Rush’s Big Night
There was one highlight of this game that you could not miss, and that was the performance of Quarterback Cooper Rush.
The seven-year NFL veteran had his best performance of the season, throwing for 292 yards, one touchdown, and avoiding an interception for the second week in a row. Rush filled up the stat sheet in this one.
He had the offense humming early, as Dallas had their highest-scoring first quarter of the year.
That initial 10-0 lead grew stronger in the second quarter, as Dallas put up 13 points with a pair of Brandon Aubrey field goals and Ezekiel Elliott’s 71st rushing touchdown as a Cowboy.
The common thread throughout these drives was Rush’s efficient passing, as he marched the Cowboys’ offense past the 50-yard line time and time again.
Rush has had his ups and downs this year, and he is clearly a backup-level quarterback, but you have to respect the effort he put forward in this Cowboys win.
Game Recap: Cowboys rip away win, 26-24- Kurt Daniels, DallasCowboys.com
A summary of how Sunday night’s upset transpired.
Second Quarter
Dallas saw the Buccaneers go 57 yards in six plays for a touchdown early in the second frame, but keeping the pressure on, the Cowboys came right back with another 10 points before the half.
A 26-yard pass from Mayfield to wideout Mike Evans was a big blow on Tampa Bay’s scoring drive, but running back Bucky Irving also rushed four times for 28 yards. The last two of those came on a dart around the right end for the score.
Dallas came right back with another three points from Aubrey, this time thanks to a 49-yard field goal. Then on their next series, the Cowboys drove 80 yards in nine plays to reach the goal line. Rush went deep to Lamb for a hefty 52-yard completion, and then two snaps later, Lamb took a short pass over the middle and gutted his way 11 more yards to the 1. Ezekiel Elliott got the honors, bullying his way off left tackle for the touchdown.
Unfortunately, with 1:40 left on the clock, that was enough time for Mayfield and company to tack on a score of their own. The Buccaneers quarterback completed 5 of 6 pass attempts for 67 yards, his 11-yard strike to Jalen McMillan accounting for the touchdown.
However, the 48 seconds remaining were enough for the Cowboys to get into Aubrey’s range. Rush had back-to-back passes of 21 and 14 yards to Jake Ferguson and Cooks, respectively, which eventually led to Dallas’ star kicker hitting another 58-yard field as time expired.
4 takeaways from Cowboys’ impressive win vs. Buccaneers- Tyler Reed, Sports Illustrated
Another week of positive takeaways.
3. Pass Rush Dominance
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield was running for his life all night long as the Cowboys stayed in the Tampa Bay backfield. Four different Cowboys recorded a sack, and the physicality of this defense made a difference in this game.
2. Lethal Weapon
The offense and the defense played great games, but Brandon Aubrey was the difference-maker in this game. Aubrey went 4-4 with his field goal attempts, the longest being from 58. Without Aubrey, this recap could be looking a lot different.
Final Stats, best pics from Cowboys’ big win over Bucs despite elimination- K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire
Relive the victory.
Despite letting the Bucs make the game close and have a last chance to win, the Cowboys beared down and left AT&T with their second home win of the season, 26-24. Despite being eliminated from the playoffs, Dallas kept their hope of finishing above .500 alive and improved to 7-8.
Cooper Rush played his best game of the season, throwing for 292 yards and only having one egregious head scratcher of a throw. He focused his attention on CeeDee Lamb in the first half as the wide receiver crossed the 100-catch threshold with 100 yards through two quarters.
The defense, led by Micah Parsons and a turnover-focused secondary, corralled one of the league’s hottest offenses. Corners Jourdan Lewis and DaRon Bland made huge fourth-quarter plays, ripping balls away from ball carriers to thwart both a touchdown and a game extender with time running out.
Dallas will now prepare for their rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17.
Awkward Mike McCarthy reality settles in for Cowboys fans after statement win- Jerry Trotta, The Landry Hat
Rumblings of McCarthy’s departure might have been a bit premature.
The jury is still out on McCarthy’s future, but this win only increases his odds of returning as head coach next season.
McCarthy obviously has his flaws, but the Cowboys played as hard Sunday night as they have all season despite being eliminated from playoff contention earlier in the day. Rather than let the news impact their performance, they rallied and put together one of their best games of the year. That is a credit to McCarthy’s coaching and the culture he has built during his tenure.
The national media loves to portray McCarthy in a negative light. It has almost become a bit to harp on his failures and discredit him at every turn while glossing over all of the good that has happened during his tenure. Make no mistake: There’s been a lot of good.
You might be thinking that playing hard is the bare minimum requirement for a professional sports team. While that might be true, there were numerous teams on Sunday with well-respected coaches that lied down. The Giants (Brian Daboll), Browns (Kevin Stefanski) and even the mighty 49ers (Kyle Shanahan) went out in their respective matchups without a whimper.
Playing hard was never going to be enough for McCarthy to save his job. He needs wins. If they lost against the Bucs at home after being in control for three quarters, that might have been enough to seal his fate.
With two division games left on the schedule against the Eagles and Commanders, respectively, the job isn’t done. It’s worth noting, though, that Philly might be without Jalen Hurts, who suffered a concussion on Sunday, and Dallas beat Washington just four weeks ago.
