How ’bout them … Buccaneers?
That’s a remixed question some will be asking when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to face the Dallas Cowboys on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 17.
Tampa Bay is trucking along in the sluggish NFC South, following up a four-game losing streak with a four-game winning streak. The latest win was something of a statement: The Bucs put up a 40-spot against the tremendous Los Angeles Chargers defense in Week 15, with 506 yards of total offense. It was a well-balanced attack, too: Baker Mayfield threw for 288 yards while four rushers combined for 223 yards on the ground.
That type of success against a top-flight defense should have the Mayfield and Co. salivating as they enter AT&T Stadium on Sunday night. While the Cowboys are winners of three of their last four, their defense remains subpar, and is now without cornerback Trevon Diggs.
Dallas’ playoff hopes might be on life support, but they can keep the playoff window open and throw a monkey wrench into the Buccaneers’ plans with a win Sunday night.
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USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights and more from the Week 16 “Sunday Night Football” matchup below.
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Dallas managed to move the ball 30 yards within the final minute of the second half to set up kicker Brandon Aubrey for another long field goal. Aubrey made it inside the left upright from 58 yards out as time expired in the second quarter. Dallas holds a two-score lead to close the first half.
Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush completed 18 of 24 passes for a 224 yards, a career-high for a half. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has six catches for 100 yards.
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield’s gone 14 for 19 for 142 yards and a touchdown. Tampa Bay’s run game has been more effective than Dallas’ ground attack with rookie Bucky Irving leading the way with a game-high 47 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Tampa Bay’s offense managed to move 71 yards in less than a minute of game time to cut the deficit to one score ahead of halftime. Baker Mayfield extended the play on 1st-and-10 from the Dallas’ 11-yard line and found rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan for the touchdown. Chase McLaughlin’s extra point is good and the Buccaneers get on the board again with 48 seconds left in the half.
The Cowboys marched 80 yards in two and a half minutes to extend their lead late in the second half. Ezekiel Elliott scored his first touchdown since Oct. 27 with a one-yard run on the left side. Brandon Aubrey’s extra point is good and the Cowboys take a 13-point lead with 1:45 to go in the second quarter.
CeeDee Lamb made multiple crucial catches, including a 52-yard deep shot from Cooper Rush, to get the Cowboys into scoring range. He briefly left the field due to what appeared to be pain in his right shoulder.
The Buccaneers’ offense made it past midfield but on 3rd-and-5 from the Dallas 40, Cowboys’ defensive end Chauncey Golston brought down Baker Mayfield for a sack and a loss of five yards. Tampa Bay couldn’t pin the Cowboys deep and Dallas will take over at their own 20-yard line with 4:14 to go in the first half.
Dallas was driving into Tampa Bay territory but Cooper Rush overthrew CeeDee Lamb on 3rd-and-5 from the Buccaneers’ 31-yard line. The Cowboys settled for a field goal and Brandon Aubrey extended the lead with a 49-yard field goal, his second make of the night, with 9:15 to go in the first half.
Rookie running back Bucky Irving broke a tackle on 2nd-and-goal from the 2-yard line and powered forward for the Buccaneers’ first score of the night. Chase McLaughlin’s extra point is good to cut the deficit to three with 11:30 to go in the half.
Irving had four carries for 28 yards on the drive and Baker Mayfield found Mike Evans twice for 29 yards.
Cooper Rush threw just his second incomplete pass of the night on 3rd-and-8 as tight end Jake Ferguson couldn’t hang on to move the chains. Dallas kicked its first punt of the night and Tampa Bay will take over on its own 43-yard line with 14:45 to go in the half.
The first quarter comes to a close in AT&T Stadium and the Cowboys are in control early up 10-0. Dallas will face 3rd-and-8 from their own 22-yard line to open the second quarter. Quarterback Cooper Rush is 9-of-10 for 70 yards and a touchdown after the first 15 minutes of action.
Tampa Bay’s offense sputtered in their second drive of the night. Baker Mayfield’s pass deep down the middle to Sterling Shepard fell incomplete again on 2nd-and-4. Rachaad White couldn’t get the last yard needed to move the chains on third down and the Buccaneers punted for the first time on the night.
Dallas takes over at their own 20 with 1:12 left in the first quarter.
Dallas needed just over two minutes to march 48 yards for the first touchdown of the game. Cooper Rush threw to Jalen Tolbert in the back of the end zone on 3rd-and-9 for the score. Brandon Aubrey’s extra point is good and the Cowboys extend their lead at home.
Tampa Bay was facing 4th-and-3 from the Dallas 48 and decided to go for it. Baker Mayfield’s pass well beyond the first-down marker hit Sterling Shepard in the hands, but Shepard couldn’t hold on. The Cowboys take over on downs with 4:57 left in the first quarter.
Dallas’ offense picked up three first downs in the opening drive of the game but Tampa Bay’s defense stepped up on 3rd-and-6 to force a long field goal. Former MLS draft pick Brandon Aubrey was reliable as ever and knocked down the kick from 58 yards out to open the scoring of the game.
It’s the 12th made field goal of the season from 50-plus yards for Aubrey.
The Cowboys and Buccaneers are set for kickoff for 8:20 p.m. ET on Sunday night.
NBC is the broadcast home of “Sunday Night Football.” Mike Tirico will be on the call, and he will be flanked by Cris Collinsworth (play-by-play).
For cord cutters looking for a live stream for the matchup, you can turn to Fubo. Fubo carries NBC, as well as CBS, FOX, NFL Network and the ESPN family of networks, meaning you can catch NFL action through the remainder of the season.
Peacock, the proprietary streaming service of NBC, will also carry the game.
Pro Bowl safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (knee) is inactive for a second straight week. Tampa Bay also will be without the services of tight end Cade Otton (knee).
Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports staff feels the “SNF” tilt between the Cowboys and Buccaneers will play out:
The Buccaneers are favorites to defeat the Cowboys, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Not interested in this game? Check out expert picks and best bets for every NFL game this week.
The Cowboys defend AT&T Stadium as the Buccaneers travel to Arlington, Texas.
AT&T Stadium has hosted one Super Bowl — Super Bowl XLV between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers. It also was the host site for the 2018 NFL draft. The stadium also hosted the first College Football Playoff national championship game in 2015, which was won by the Ohio State Buckeyes against the Oregon Ducks.
➤ Ranking NFL’s stadiums from 1 to 30: Where does Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium rate?
The roof is closed at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, so weather will not be a factor in Sunday night’s game.
x – clinched playoff berth
After the Washington Commanders’ win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, the Cowboys were eliminated from playoff contention.
This season will mark the first time since 2020 that the Cowboys have not qualified for the postseason. The Cowboys have six playoff appearances in the last 11 seasons, with the furthest the team advanced in the postseason being the divisional round. The Cowboys haven’t reached the NFC championship game since the 1995 season, when the team went on to win Super Bowl XXX.
With the Atlanta Falcons’ win over the New York Giants on Sunday, the Buccaneers enter “Sunday Night Football” with a half-game edge in the NFC South.
The Buccaneers need to stay ahead of the Falcons in the standings, with Atlanta owning the head-to-head tiebreaker over Tampa Bay.
Seven teams had already clinched playoff berths entering Week 16. The Baltimore Ravens made it eight with their win Saturday over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
AFC
NFC
Here’s the projected 2025 NFL draft order ahead of “Sunday Night Football” in Week 16, according to Tankathon.com:
Jerry Jones hasn’t shared his hand one way or another when it comes to Mike McCarthy’s future in Dallas. He recently noted that the endorsements given to the coach by Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons and Troy Aikman were “not surprising at all” and were indicative of the success McCarthy has enjoyed during his NFL career.
“He wouldn’t be in this job had he not had the kind of credibility that those endorsements reflect,” Jones said. “He’s a heck of a head coach in the NFL, and he’s got the skins on the wall to prove it.”
Dak Prescott suffered a partial hamstring avulsion – a tear during which part of the tendon rips off the bone – during Dallas’ 27-21 loss to the Falcons in Week 9. He told reporters after the contest that he wasn’t sure if the injury occurred while he was running or being tackled. He is out for the season.
Could edge rusher Micah Parsons be the odd man out after the Dallas Cowboys paid quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb last offseason?
If he is, Parsons doesn’t seem too worried about it.
“I understand how the business side goes,” he said when asked about the trade speculation on Sunday, per The Athletic. “There are no hard feelings in this business, whether I’m here or anywhere else. Obviously I’ve stated that I wanted to be here. But at the end of the day, I understand the business side.”
Jerry Jones squashed the trade rumors earlier this week.
“That’s never been uttered in this organization, that we don’t have a future with Micah Parsons,” he told 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. — Jack McKessy
Baker Mayfield signed an extension with the Buccaneers this offseason to stay with Tampa Bay through the 2026 season.
Mayfield’s cap hit per season varies across the contract. For 2024, Mayfield’s cap hit is $6.9 million. That escalates to $35.77 million in 2025 and $45.77 million in 2026. There are two void years tacked on to the end of the contract for 2027 and 2028.
The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers are tied for the most Super Bowl wins with six.
The Dallas Cowboys and Steelers have the unique distinction of playing each other more than any other team combination in Super Bowl history with three matchups.
The Cowboys have appeared in eight Super Bowls (that’s tied with three other teams for the second-most ever), but have not played in a Super Bowl since the 1995 season. In all, the Cowboys have won five Super Bowl wins. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have appeared in two Super Bowls, winning both. The Buccaneers’ most recent Super Bowl win came during the 2020 season in Super Bowl 55.
NFL franchises with most Super Bowl wins:
➤ Super Bowl winners: All-time scores, results for NFL title game
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