The Dallas Cowboys have to forget the idea of “it’s just the (insert bad team here)." The winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with a rookie undrafted free agent (UDFA) at quarterback, beat them on their own field, sending them to 2-3 on the season. Unlike most Dallas losses, this game wasn’t just about an awful defense and poor special teams. The offense was bad as well, with two turnovers, a nonexistent rushing attack, and poor passing against the blitz.
The defense is the biggest issue, and they were against Tampa Bay. They allowed over six yards per attempt, giving up 241 rushing yards. The special teams committed a fumble on a kick return that put the Buccaneers up by two touchdowns, and the offense needed a 99-yard drive in the fourth quarter to reach 16 points. Everything about this loss was that one team was better in every area of the game, and that can be laid at the coaches' feet.
Another QB plays like a Pro Bowler
Scouting an opposing defense seems unnecessary when facing the Cowboys' defense. They allow mediocre offenses to get it together against them. Jaxson Dart had a quarterback rating of 134.2. Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota combined for a rating of 104.1. Lamar Jackson ended with a 136.7, and C.J. Stroud had a 126.7. Those are known quantities at QB, but Dallas was facing UDFA rookie Jaylon Daniels, not Baker Mayfield. It didn’t matter in the end. Daniels threw 25 times, completing 19 for 189 yards and a touchdown, with a quarterback rating of 110.2. When any quarterback can start and feel comfortable moving the ball, every game becomes a four-quarter battle. Giving up 8 yards per rush to Bucky Irving is bad enough, but getting crushed in both areas is nearly impossible to handle, especially for a rookie play-caller at defensive coordinator.
Keeping the Cowboys offense off the field was a brilliant strategy
The Cowboys took the opening drive of the game 70 yards on nine plays for a touchdown to get off to an excellent start, but the Dallas defense killed all momentum the next drive. Tampa Bay went on a 15-play, 73-yard drive that took 11 minutes off the clock and faced no more than a third-and-five. That is the type of drive the Buccaneers were looking for as a defensive strategy. Keep Dallas’ offense off the field with long scoring drives. One first-quarter drive was all the Cowboys' offense got. Tampa Bay ran the ball 39 times, got 24 first downs, and held the ball nearly 40 minutes. They also converted a third-and-21 and a third-and-13 to extend drives.
Turnovers killed Dallas’ chances of stealing the win
The defense held Tampa Bay a few times, but when they finally gave up a big play and a quick score to start the second half, a tipped interception set up Tampa Bay inside the 30 and ended a Dallas scoring drive. The Buccaneers went on another touchdown drive to take a 21-10 lead. Then, a fumble on the kickoff return piled even more on. Tampa Bay added a field goal to go up two touchdowns. After a 99-yard Dallas touchdown drive and a failed two-point conversion, the Cowboys got the ball back down eight with a chance to tie, but the game ended on a Jake Ferguson drop that popped up and was intercepted by Alex Anzalone as the Cowboys drove for the tying touchdown. Multiple ways to play the blame game when a team plays so poorly, but the three turnovers were definitely key.
You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or on YouTube at Across the Cowboys podcast
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: What we learned from Dallas' humiliating Week 5 loss to the Buccaneers