ARLINGTON – The victory meant nothing for the Cowboys’ playoff ambitions.

But it would be a mistake to label it as meaningless.

An undermanned team that had the playoff rug pulled out from under it before the game began came out and led the division-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers from start to finish.

Dallas 26, Tampa Bay 24 is the latest example of the Cowboys bouncing back after a rough start. Dallas has now won four of its last five games heading into next weekend’s game in Philadelphia.

Here’s our Cowboys-Buccaneers report card.

attack

Dominant? Far from it. You can’t just accumulate 31 yards and dominate every opponent.

But Cooper Rush tore apart the Bucs’ defense by completing more than 74 percent of his passes, with four completions going for more than 20 yards. The Cowboys’ offense scored on six of their first seven possessions and did not turn the ball over.

Grade: B-plus

defense

The Bucs entered the game ranked third in total yards and fourth in scoring with an average of 28.8 points. This was a balanced, explosive offense that featured quarterback Baker Mayfield playing the best ball of his NFL career.

That wasn’t the case on Sunday. Mayfield was sacked four times and threw one interception. The Bucs were tied at 17 points until the final three minutes of the game, and when they hoped to end the game on a winning streak, Dallas’ defense quickly dashed it by forcing a fumble.

Grade: A-minus

Special teams

Brandon Aubrey scored the first on Sunday night with a 58-yard field goal. He kicked another 58-yard field goal to end the half and then added a 53-yarder in the third quarter.

Aubrey has now made 14 field goals of 50 or more yards this season, an NFL record. And guess what? He made 41 of 42 field goal attempts at AT&T Stadium in his two seasons.

Grade: A

Coaching

Mike McCarthy knew the Tampa defense would crowd the box to prevent the run game. He also knew that entering that game, Rico Dowdle had rushed for more than 100 yards in three straight games.

But McCarthy didn’t bang his or Dowdle’s head against the wall. He focused the game plan on the passing game and called for just enough running attempts to keep the play-action pass as a threat. And when the Cowboys were actually in the shadow of the goal post, he turned to his best goal-line runner, Ezekiel Elliott, for the score.

Grade: B-plus

In total

The Cowboys’ margin of success is razor-thin these days given all the key injuries they’ve suffered. Dallas has done a good job of going that route in recent weeks.

They did it again on Sunday evening.

Grade: B-plus

Season reports 2024

– Cowboys-Browns report card: Dallas had a thorough and convincing performance in Week 1

– Cowboys-Saints report card: Did a unit receive a grade higher than “D” after the loss?

– Cowboys-Ravens report card: Another home loss, another bad grade

– Cowboys-Giants report card: Dallas did what it had to do

– Cowboys-Steelers report card: Don’t underestimate the importance of this road win

– Cowboys-Lions report card: A shocking example of ineptitude

– Cowboys-49ers report card: As damaging as an October loss can be

– Cowboys-Falcons report card: Not a great day for coach Mike McCarthy

– Cowboys-Eagles report card: An immobile passing attack set the tone

― Cowboys-Texans report card: Putting the D in Dallas…again

― Cowboys Commanders Testimony: A wild finish doesn’t detract from this win

― Cowboys-Giants report card: Nice progress regardless of the competition

– Cowboys-Bengals report card: The best defeat of the season?

– Cowboys-Panthers report card: Why can’t this team play like this at home?

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