The Dallas Cowboys will look to get their first winning streak of the 2026 season going when they take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night.
The 2-2 Cowboys managed to squeak out a win over a winless Houston Texans team last week. Squeak is the right word after Dallas blew a late lead and then scored the game-winning touchdown with only seconds remaining before Houston’s last-second Hail Mary came way too close to breaking Dallas’ heart.
The Bucs are in a death spiral four games into the season after an 0-4 start, and making matters worse is the fact that Baker Mayfield is on the shelf for multiple games with a thumb injury, which has paved the way for rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels to start.
A home matchup against a winless team with a rookie quarterback on Thursday night has all the makings of a trap game for Dallas.
But will the Cowboys fall victim? Here’s what experts from different media outlets think, and then I’ve included my prediction, also.
- Albert Breer: Cowboys
- Eva Geitheim: Cowboys
- Mitch Goldich: Cowboys
- Mike Kadlick: Cowboys
- Gilberto Manzano: Cowboys
- Conor Orr: Cowboys
- John Pluym: Cowboys
- Matt Verderame: Cowboys
- Iain McMillan: Cowboys
- Peter Dewey: Cowboys
- Matt Bowen: Cowboys
- Mike Clay: Cowboys
- Jeremy Fowler: Cowboys
- Dan Graziano: Cowboys
- Kalyn Kahler: Cowboys
- Pamela Maldonado: Cowboys
- Eric Moody: Cowboys
- Jason Reid: Cowboys
- Ben Solak: Cowboys
- Lindsey Thiry: Cowboys
- Seth Wickersham: Cowboys
Prisco’s prediction: Cowboys 34, Bucs 13
Prisco: “The Bucs are 0-4 and playing a rookie at quarterback in Jalon Daniels. He will be making his first road start. On a Thursday night? That’s tough. The Cowboys are coming off a big win at Houston and the offense was dynamic. Dak Prescott keeps it going in this one.”Â
- Cowboys: 22
- Buccaneers: 0
It’s a clean sweep and it isn’t hard to see why.
Not only are the Buccaneers playing like one of the worst teams in the NFL this season at 0-4, they’re also starting an undrafted rookie quarterback in primetime in Jalon Daniels.
We should caution that Daniels actually looked pretty good in his starting debut last week in place of an injured Baker Mayfield, and we know Dallas’ defense can et up yards and points to just about anyone, so there are no gimmes for this unit.
Daniels completed over 70% of his passes for 148 yards and one score, and he showed his elite athleticism with 55 yards on eight carries. The latter part is even more of a concern with how badly the Cowboys have played against mobile quarterbacks in 2026.
The rookie is oozing with confidence, no doubt, but that can lead to bad decisions and turnovers, as we saw last week when he threw two interceptions in the loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Tampa Bay’s defense has been better than you’d expect for an 0-4 team. The Bucs rank ninth against the pass and third against the run. But the Bucs are also without two key defenders in Antoine Winfield and Benjamin Morrison, so we’re expecting another monster game from CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott.
This is a classic Thursday night trap-game scenario for Dallas, but the Cowboys don’t fall victim to it. The Bucs will, however, make it a little too close for comfort.
The Bucs will find some success on the ground and through the air against Dallas and hang around, but the Cowboys’ defense bends but doesn’t break enough in this one and a key turnover off the rookie late seals Dallas’ third win of the season.
Final score: Cowboys 28, Buccaneers 23
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