NFL: Cowboys beat Buccaneers but miss playoffs after Washington's win

Despite being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention earlier in the day, the Dallas Cowboys secured a 26-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on "Sunday Night Football."

The win, which was their fourth in the last five games, featured a key moment when DaRon Bland forced a fumble from Buccaneers running back Rachaad White with 1:40 remaining, ending Tampa Bay’s drive to potentially take the lead, News.Az reports, citing US media.

The loss won’t extend the season for the Cowboys (7-8) after Washington’s victory over Philadelphia earlier Sunday mathematically eliminated Dallas’ already slim playoff odds. Yet the Cowboys showed no letdown, leading 10-0 within the first quarter, and 23-14 at halftime.

With as little as three minutes left in regulation, the Cowboys still held a nine-point lead, yet Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield led a quick touchdown drive to pull within 26-24, and Dallas followed with a meek drive that ended with a quick punt, giving the Buccaneers the ball back with 1:40 to go.

After Mayfield extended the play by avoiding being tackled, he tossed the ball to his running back, White, who was falling to the turf when the Cowboys’ defensive back ripped the ball away while making a tackle. A stunned Mayfield watched a replay on the scoreboard, his mouth agape and palms turned upward, but the Cowboys ran out the clock on the win, despite having scored only three points in the second half.

Playing at home had been a recipe for disaster this season for the Cowboys. They now improve to 2-6 at AT&T Stadium.

With the loss, Tampa Bay (8-7) is no longer in first place in the NFC South. In the NFL, division winners earn automatic berths in the playoffs, and now Atlanta leads the division. The Falcons have beaten Tampa twice and thus hold the tiebreaker should they finish the season in two weeks tied in the standings. Had Tampa Bay won this week, its odds of making the playoffs would have improved to 94%, according to NFL.com; the loss drops that probability to 67% with two games left.

Even though its playoff fate was sealed earlier Sunday, Dallas also was playing for significant stakes. Coach Mike McCarthy’s contract ends after this season, and the team ownership has said it is evaluating his entire body of work before it decides whether he will return in 2025. Since they fell to 3-7 after five consecutive losses, the Cowboys have found life despite the season-ending injury to starting quarterback Dak Prescott.

Mayfield threw for 303 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, but he was sacked four times and was under relentless pressure for much of the second half, forcing him to evade onrushing defenders. Cooper Rush threw for 292 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys’ win. Of his 292 yards, 105 went to star wideout CeeDee Lamb, who caught seven passes.

While Bland’s forced fumble protected the win, kicker Brandon Aubrey was an unsung Cowboys hero, making all four of his field-goal attempts, including two from 58 yards and another from 53.

News.Az