Photo Credit: Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Hours before kickoff, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and head coach Mike McCarthy shared a quiet moment in McCarthy’s office. With their playoff hopes dashed earlier that day, the mood was heavy. “It was a downtime,” Jones said. “We both looked like we had lost somebody.”
The Cowboys were officially eliminated from playoff contention when the Washington Commanders edged out the Philadelphia Eagles just hours before Dallas faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The news hit hard. “Before the game was a real punch in the gut, to say the least,” McCarthy admitted.
Despite the disappointment, the Cowboys rallied to defeat the Buccaneers 26-24, improving to 7-8 with their fourth win in five games.
Battling Through Adversity
The Cowboys entered the game short-handed, missing stars like Dak Prescott, Zack Martin, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Trevon Diggs due to injuries. Linebacker Eric Kendricks was also sidelined after his calf injury worsened during warmups. The setbacks continued during the game, with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb exiting early due to a shoulder injury and Jalen Tolbert suffering a dislocated pinky finger.
The Buccaneers outgained Dallas by 93 yards, had 10 more first downs, and controlled the ball for over five minutes longer. Yet, the Cowboys found a way to win.
Backup quarterback Cooper Rush delivered a standout performance, throwing for 226 yards in the first half—a career high—including a touchdown to Tolbert. Ezekiel Elliott added a 1-yard touchdown on his lone carry, bringing his career total to 72.
The defense stepped up in key moments. Jourdan Lewis, playing through an elbow injury, intercepted Baker Mayfield in the end zone. Later, DaRon Bland forced a crucial fumble from Rachaad White with just 1:31 left, sealing the victory.
Pride and Resilience
McCarthy praised his team’s determination. “I just can’t say enough about the locker room. Their pride. Character. Toughness. Resiliency.”
Jones also commended McCarthy and the players. “They wouldn’t give it up out there. So, I’m real proud of them, and Mike McCarthy, he just won’t let them not think that they’re not playing for a Super Bowl out there.”
While McCarthy avoided discussing the playoff elimination pregame, players like Rush felt the weight of the news. “There’s a lot of players with a lot of wins in that locker room the last three seasons,” Rush said. “So, we know what it’s about. We know who we are as competitors and when you’re playing football, you’re competing to win.”
Strategic Shifts
One notable adjustment came when McCarthy chose to take the ball after winning the coin toss, a departure from the usual strategy of deferring. “I said, ‘Hey, let’s take the ball and let’s get up and get going and get this thing started the right way,’” McCarthy explained. “So I thought it was good the offense went out there and got some points on the board.”
The decision paid off, as kicker Brandon Aubrey drilled a 58-yard field goal to open the scoring. Aubrey added two more field goals of over 50 yards, including one that gave Dallas a 26-14 lead in the third quarter.
Though Tampa Bay closed the gap to 26-24 late in the game, Bland’s forced fumble ended any hopes of a comeback.
Looking Ahead
Jones reflected on the season’s shortcomings. “There’s many things that have gone into us sitting here not in the playoffs and you can start with me,” Jones said. “And I’m not trying to be any way other than a lot of people contribute to it when you win (and) a lot of people contribute to it when you don’t. But, boy, you give that kind of effort, that kind of professionalism, those guys came out and played as if they were fighting for a championship game to go to a Super Bowl.”
While the Cowboys’ Super Bowl drought now extends to 29 years, the team remains focused on finishing strong in their final two games.
“Everything,” Rush said. “I mean this is your life. This is ball. This is what you do. You get paid to do it. I don’t think people need much more motivation.”
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This report used information from ESPN.
