Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense Turns Corner in Ugly Week 10 Win

It was anything but pretty, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers notched their second home win of the season on Sunday, taking down the Dallas Cowboys 10-6 behind a solid performance from their often-criticized defense.

Both teams made plenty of mistakes on both sides of the ball, failing to take advantage of opportunities in key moments to impact the game in a big way. In the end, it was the Bucs who made the plays in the game’s final minutes to capture their fourth victory of the year.

After riding turnover-free performances from Jameis Winston over the last four games, it was the Tampa Bay defense who responded with one of their best efforts of the season, holding Dallas’ playmakers in check and keeping them from moving the chains with any regularity.

The Bucs held Dez Bryant and Jason Witten to a combined 87 yards on 10 receptions, keeping the Cowboys out of the end zone all afternoon, holding them to just 12 first downs and allowing them to convert just four of their 13 third-down attempts.

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Tampa Bay also shut down the Dallas running game, which had been led by one of the league’s most dominant offensive lines. Darren McFadden was averaging over 100 yards rushing per game over the last three weeks, but the Bucs held him to just 32 yards on 17 carries.

It was a sloppy tilt on both sides, as each team missed a field goal and let horrible mental mistakes lead to penalties at the worst possible times.

But the Bucs did just enough when it mattered most, taking advantage of their opportunities on offense and making the game’s biggest play on defense on the final drive.

After leading the Bucs on a would-be game-winning drive, it looked like Winston had fumbled the win away when he lost the ball while attempting to dive into the end zone for the go-ahead score. The Cowboys recovered, but a defensive holding call wiped out the turnover, giving Tampa Bay another chance at point-blank range. Winston would walk it in on a naked bootleg on the next play, giving the Bucs the lead on the game’s only touchdown.

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But with 54 seconds still left on the clock, the Cowboys had a chance to mount their own game-winning drive. Their chances were made even greater by a personal foul on Tampa Bay’s Mike Jenkins on the kickoff that gave the Cowboys great field position.

But safety Bradley McDougald would secure the win for Tampa Bay with an interception in the end zone, tracking Matt Cassel’s pass just over Bryant’s head and sending the Cowboys to their seventh straight defeat.

There were positives on offense for Tampa Bay, as well.

Winston’s two turnovers were an example of the spotty accuracy he displayed throughout the afternoon, but he still finished the game with 264 yards through the air and spearheaded the winning drive. His go-ahead touchdown run was his fourth rushing score of the season, giving him the team lead.

Doug Martin was far more effective this week as both a runner and receiver, gaining 103 total yards on 22 touches and picking up plenty of real estate after first contact, as he has all season long.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Mike Evans had a couple of drops again this week, but he topped 100 yards receiving for the second straight week, as well. He made multiple big plays down the field and moved the chains at key moments, notching his seventh career 100-yard game in just his 23rd NFL appearance.

The Bucs have now doubled their win total from 2014 and currently sit just one game below .500, with a 2-1 record against division opponents. They have a playmaker under center who proved he can get the job done in the game’s most important moments, a reliable ground game and a young receiver who can have a bad day and still top 100 yards.

What they needed was a statement game from their defense after weeks of inconsistency and missed opportunities. They shut down the Cowboys’ strengths on Sunday, got off the field on third down and made the big play with the game on the line to secure the win.

There’s still plenty of room for improvement on both sides of the ball, but the Bucs will start work on those improvements on Tuesday after enjoying a well-earned Victory Monday.

All stats courtesy of NFL.com

Luke Easterling is a Featured Columnist covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and NFL draft for Bleacher Report. He is also a senior NFL draft analyst for Draft Breakdown. Follow him on Twitter @Luke Easterling.