- Dak Prescott said the quiet part out loud after the Dallas Cowboys’ 24-16 loss to Tampa Bay: “We were supposed to win.”
- Dallas led by three at halftime, but the Buccaneers came out of the break and scored 17 points in the third quarter alone, turning a game the Cowboys thought they should control into a loss that dropped them to 2-3.
- Tampa Bay, which had deferred the opening kickoff, used the third quarter to take control.
- Tampa Bay outgained Dallas 419-366 and controlled possession for 39:21 to 20:39.
- Prescott’s two interceptions were especially costly, including Alex Anzalone’s pick with 1:22 left that sealed Tampa Bay’s first win of the season.
- “Extraordinarily, extraordinarily disappointed,” the Cowboys owner said, summing up a loss that felt bigger than one bad night.
- For the Buccaneers, the win ended a stretch of four straight one-possession losses and kept them in the thick of the NFC South race.
Cowboys expected to win, but Buccaneers flipped the script after halftime
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Sources & Referenced Reporting
- Dallas Cowboys, “Jerry Jones 'extraordinarily disappointed' by Cowboys' Week 5 loss to Buccaneers,” Oct. 9, 2026.
- Dallas Cowboys, “En resumen: Cowboys caen ante Tampa Bay por errores clave,” Oct. 9, 2026.
- Dallas Cowboys, “Dak Prescott on Cowboys loss to Bucs: 'We were supposed to win',” Oct. 9, 2026.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers, “Bucs Explode for Season-Changing Win over Cowboys,” Oct. 9, 2026.
- https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7673183/2026/10/08/buccaneers-cowboys-result-takeaways-thursday-night-football-nfl/
- ESPN, “Buccaneers explode in third quarter in win over Cowboys,” Oct. 8, 2026.
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