Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
2-13
25
FINAL
35
Dallas
Cowboys
12-3
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 17 matchup, the Dallas Cowboys topped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35-25, solidifying their position as playoff contenders. With both teams vying for postseason seeding, the stakes were high, but it was the Cowboys who emerged victorious on their home turf.
Dallas quarterback Cam Ward delivered a standout performance, throwing for 4 touchdowns and helping his team build a crucial lead. Running back Jaydon Blue added to the offensive momentum with 98 rushing yards, while Baker Mayfield of the Buccaneers kept his team competitive with an impressive 394 passing yards and a connection with Tucker Kraft, who racked up 170 receiving yards.
The Cowboys' defense made critical contributions, with Jalen Thompson leading the charge with 5 total tackles, and Yaya Diaby wreaking havoc with 3 sacks. The turning point came in the second half when Dallas's defense stifled a potential Buccaneers comeback, allowing the Cowboys to maintain control and secure the victory.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 35 | 23 | 66% | 394 | 2 | 3 | 87.0 |
| Cam Ward | QB | 30 | 19 | 63% | 392 | 4 | 4 | 106.9 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaydon Blue | HB | 9 | 98 | 10.9 | 10 | 1 | 78 | 0 |
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 3 | 32 | 10.7 | — | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Bucky Irving | HB | 11 | 10 | 0.9 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | — | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Cam Ward | QB | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Chimere Dike | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Godwin Jr | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tucker Kraft | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tucker Kraft | TE | 8 | 170 | 21.3 | 128 | 1 | 72 | 0 |
| George Pickens | WR | 5 | 151 | 30.2 | 33 | 2 | 44 | 0 |
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 5 | 117 | 23.4 | 74 | 1 | 59 | 0 |
| Tory Horton | WR | 5 | 107 | 21.4 | 45 | 2 | 58 | 0 |
| Trey McBride | TE | 5 | 69 | 13.8 | 24 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| Chimere Dike | WR | 4 | 65 | 16.3 | 21 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Jerry Jeudy | WR | 2 | 46 | 23.0 | 28 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Chris Godwin Jr | WR | 4 | 34 | 8.5 | 25 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Bucky Irving | HB | 5 | 27 | 5.4 | 11 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carson Schwesinger | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Caleb Downs | SS | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Yaya Diaby | REDG | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dee Winters | MIKE | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Daiyan Henley | WILL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob Parrish | CB | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Keldric Faulk | LEDG | 2 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Thompson | FS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Alontae Taylor | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kenny Moore II | CB | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| LT Overton | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyler Davis | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DaRon Bland | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Tykee Smith | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Malachi Lawrence | REDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jerome Baker | SAM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaishawn Barham | SAM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Troy Andersen | SAM | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jay Toia | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adon Shuler | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Donte Kent | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jakorian Bennett | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elijah Roberts | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaden Mangham | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zyon McCollum | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| TJ Dottery | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harrison Phillips | DT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Benjamin Morrison | CB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase McLaughlin | K | 2 | 2 | 1 | 39 |
| Brandon Aubrey | K | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |

