5 plays that led Cowboys to victory over Buccaneers

Sunday night was intense.

The Cowboys did it again, notching their fourth win in five games despite learning they had been eliminated from the playoffs earlier that day. They played a physical, gritty game against a Buccaneers team that entered on a four-game winning streak.

This one came down right to the end, and there was a long list of big plays all throughout the game. But these five plays, in retrospect, seem to have been the biggest ones.

Brandin Cooks’ big catch flips field

The Cowboys got the ball to start the game and they moved down the field quickly before settling for a field goal. Then, the Dallas defense forced a turnover on downs, when the Bucs dropped a fourth and short pass.

The Cowboys had a chance to go up by multiple scores early, and they didn’t pass up the opportunity. KaVontae Turpin took a first down carry for 12 yards, and then Cooper Rush took a deep shot to Brandin Cooks.

Cooks got free and made some moves after the catch to reel in 29 yards in total. That play took Dallas from near midfield to well inside the red zone at the Tampa Bay 11. Just like that, a touchdown seemed a near certainty, and three plays later Jalen Tolbert was dancing in the endzone.

Jake Ferguson’s catch-and-run sets up field goal

The Buccaneers got a touchdown with just 48 seconds left in the first half to cut the Cowboys lead to 20-14. But Dallas had all three timeouts and a real opportunity to get some points before the break, aiming to put their lead back to multiple scores.

The very first play of the drive practically did all the work for them, as Jake Ferguson came wide open over the middle with some filthy route running.

In total, Ferguson picked up 21 yards and put the ball at the Tampa 49, right on the fringe of field goal range for Brandon Aubrey. They picked up nine more yards before Aubrey hit a 58-yarder, but this catch from Ferguson was pivotal in setting that up.

Cowboys maul Baker Mayfield, set up ridiculous third down

The Buccaneers started with the ball right out of the halftime break, and they were hoping to keep their offensive momentum going. A couple big plays got them down in Dallas territory, but a holding call backed them up into a second and 19.

Tampa Bay was still at the Dallas 35-yard line, and a field goal was at least in play even if they couldn’t overcome the penalty. But then the Cowboys pass rush came alive.

Wave after wave of pass rushers came bearing down upon Mayfield as he tried to escape, and it was Micah Parsons who knocked the ball free as he got the sack. Nick Vigil very nearly recovered the ball, but he was ruled out of bounds on replay review. Still, it brought up a hilarious third and 40 and also took the Buccaneers out of field goal range.

Jourdan Lewis comes up with incredible endzone pick

After both teams traded field goals in the third quarter, the Buccaneers were trailing 26-17 and running out of time. When they got the ball back with seven and a half minutes left, they pretty much needed points on that drive to keep any real hope alive.

Mayfield found a receiver deep over the middle on third down to convert the series, and then one play later he took a deep shot to the endzone. That’s when Jourdan Lewis made arguably the most impressive play of his career.

On the live view, it looked as if Mayfield had just thrown a touchdown, but Lewis came up with the ball and it was ruled an interception. While the Cowboys ultimately punted after just three plays, the pick from Lewis put the Buccaneers in a bind with very little time to complete their comeback bid.

DaRon Bland’s fumble recovery ices game

Things rolled Tampa Bay’s way after that, forcing two three-and-out’s from the Cowboys and getting a touchdown in between. Mayfield got the ball back with just under two minutes left down two. All he had to do was get into field goal range.

But the Cowboys knew the Buccaneers were in pass-only mode, and Mike Zimmer unleashed his most creative pressure scheme on the first play of the drive. Mayfield was hit but refused to go down. He flipped it to Rachaad White, who made a few moves before running into DaRon Bland.

The heads-up play from Bland to not only strip the ball but also recover it right away is impressive. Since Tampa Bay had no remaining timeouts, this big play from Bland was the one that clinched it all. Rush took a knee three times to run out the clock, but Bland sealed the deal with this crazy takeaway.