Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tampa Bay Grades, Notes and Quotes

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used a late touchdown drive and an interception in the end zone to eke out an ugly 10-6 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

The win gives the Bucs a 4-5 record on the season, doubling their win total from 2014 and putting them just a game below .500, while the Cowboys dropped their seventh straight game since losing quarterback Tony Romo to injury.

Jameis Winston overcame a pair of interceptions and an inconsistent overall performance, leading the team on a game-winning drive in the final minutes, capping it off with a one-yard touchdown run on a naked bootleg. The rookie quarterback completed 22 of his 39 passes for 264 yards.

Tampa Bay's defense stepped up in a big way, holding the Cowboys to just 216 total yards. Darren McFadden had averaged over 100 yards rushing per game over the last three weeks but was held to just 32 yards on 17 carries. Dez Bryant and Jason Witten were held to a combined 87 yards on 10 catches, as the entire Dallas offense was held out of the end zone all afternoon.

Winston's go-ahead score was the only touchdown of the game, but it almost never happened. On the previous play, Winston leapt toward the end zone for a would-be score but fumbled the ball just before the goal line, with Dallas recovering. But a holding call on the Cowboys would give the Bucs another chance, and Winston took full advantage with his team-leading fourth touchdown run of the season.

Still, the score came with 54 seconds left in the game, giving the Cowboys time to mount their own drive to try to win the game. Despite having no timeouts, the Cowboys got within striking distance, thanks in part to a personal foul penalty on Tampa Bay cornerback Mike Jenkins on the kickoff return.

But Matt Cassel's ensuing deep throw was just barely too far for Bryant, falling into the waiting arms of Bucs safety Bradley McDougald to seal the victory for the home team.

Position Grades for Bucs

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Position	Grade
QB	C
RB	B
WR	C
TE	C
OL	B
DL	B
LB	B
DB	B
Special Teams	C-
Coaching	B

Jameis Winston came back down to earth a bit on Sunday, throwing his first two picks since Week 4 and struggling with consistency and accuracy throughout the game. But he led the team on a game-winning drive, making the biggest plays when it mattered most.

Doug Martin churned out plenty of tough yards this week, topping 100 total yards and allowing the Bucs to maintain their identity on the ground. Mike Evans bounced back from last week's drop-fest to give the Bucs another 100-yard performance, while Brandon Myers made a couple of key catches. Despite all of the injuries to Tampa Bay's pass-catchers, those left healthy continue to produce.

Up front, the Bucs got the job done against a quality Dallas front four. Yards weren't easy to come by on the ground, but they did just enough in that department, holding the Cowboys' talented pass-rushers in check for most of the afternoon.

The defensive line gets a solid grade, despite grabbing just one sack, mostly due to shutting down Darren McFadden and the Dallas ground game.

The back seven deserve a ton of credit for this victory, starting with linebackers Lavonte David and Kwon Alexander, who looked much improved in coverage, and each tallied a sack. The secondary kept things in front of it all game long and came up with the game-winning takeaway.

Special teams had their struggles, from Connor Barth missing his second field goal of the year to Bobby Rainey mishandling the football in the return game and costing the Bucs valuable field position.

Coaching gets a solid grade thanks to improvement in the number of penalties committed, as well as head coach Lovie Smith showing a willingness to change. He let the offense try to move the ball down the field just before the half and dialed up more blitzes on third downs that led to key stops.

Defense Makes a Statement

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Tampa Bay's defense was expected to be much improved in its second year under Lovie Smith, but the unit has struggled for much of the 2015 season.

Sunday's performance showed marked improvement at every level, from holding the Cowboys to 216 total yards and shutting down a strong running attack to keeping Dez Bryant in check and posting three sacks.

The offense has been humming for the last few games, but this week, the Bucs needed their defense to carry the day. Thankfully for Bucs fans, it did just that, despite dealing with multiple injuries and a Cowboys team starving for a win.

Winston Overcomes Mistakes, Leads Game-Winning Drive

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Rookie quarterback Jameis Winston hadn't turned the ball over since Week 4, but he tossed two interceptions on Sunday, struggling with ball placement and decision-making at times.

But when given the chance to mount a game-winning drive, Winston responded like he often did at Florida State, moving the offense down the field and capping it off with a go-ahead touchdown run from one yard out.

Winston scored on a naked bootleg to give the Bucs the lead in the final minute, also giving him a team-leading four rushing touchdowns on the season. It wasn't his cleanest performance, but this year's No. 1 overall pick again put his team in position to win with the game on the line.

Evans Bounces Back, Tops 100 Yards Again

Brian Blanco/Associated Press

Mike Evans caught eight passes for 152 yards in last week's home loss to the New York Giants, but it was his six drops that got the most attention.

This week, Evans showed improved concentration and consistency on his way to yet another 100-yard game. He still had a couple of drops, but he made multiple catches in traffic and proved he's still a legitimate big-play threat.

Evans has now gone for over 100 receiving yards in seven of his 23 NFL games, and he's putting up great numbers, despite a barrage of injuries to Tampa Bay's receiving corps. All of the attention is on Evans in coverage, but he's still producing.

Head Coach Lovie Smith on Defense Turning a Corner

Cliff McBride/Getty Images

Tampa Bay's defense has taken plenty of criticism so far this season, struggling to close out games and getting torched through the air with painful regularity.

But the Bucs bounced back with a strong performance on that side of the ball this week, and head coach Lovie Smith said it was only a matter of time, per Eric Horchy of PewterReport.com:

"

We believe in what we do. We haven’t been Pro Bowl-ready as quick as everyone would like, but it takes time. The moves we made at the cornerback position, those have helped us a lot. We have guys down still. Guys just continue to play hard and that’s how it’s supposed to happen. You keep doing things the right way, eventually you see some results. We’re not there yet and there and [six teams] penalties we need to eliminate, but we’re making progress.

"

Smith's crew held the Cowboys to just 216 total yards on Sunday and kept the big plays from the likes of Dez Bryant and Jason Witten to a minimum. After weeks of the offense carrying the team, Tampa Bay's defense proved it can get the job done and make the plays necessary to win a game.

QB Jameis Winston on Fumble, Winning Score

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After a penalty wiped out a costly fumble at the goal line, quarterback Jameis Winston took advantage of the second chance with a naked-bootleg touchdown run to put the Bucs ahead in the final minute.

But when asked about the fumble during his postgame press conference, Winston jokingly said he could only remember his game-winning touchdown run, per Scott Reynolds of PewterReport.com:

"

I don’t really know what you’re talking about. I forget about that already. I’m cherishing this win, cherishing this win.

The touchdown was magical, man. Had a great fake, a great call, found the way into the end zone. The play before that I have no recollection.

"

Winston had an up-and-down performance overall, struggling with his accuracy and throwing two picks, his first turnovers since Week 4. But the rookie quarterback responded with big plays at the most important moments, taking advantage of his late opportunities and putting the Bucs in position for the big home win.

S Bradley McDougald on Responding to Criticism

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The entire Tampa Bay defense has gotten plenty of grief for its lack of consistency and effectiveness this season, but the majority of the criticism has been directed at the secondary.

After a stellar performance against the Cowboys, safety Bradley McDougald said the group has always been confident in its abilities, per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com:

"

It feels good but, honestly, our secondary, we have enough guys who know what they're capable of, know what they can do. We aren't really concerned about outside criticism or things that happen outside our locker room. We just show up to work each and every week and just try to get better and play consistent.

"

McDougald snagged the game-sealing interception in the end zone, tracking in a Matt Cassel pass that was just barely overthrown in the direction of Dez Bryant. This week's performance was a much-needed boost for the Tampa Bay secondary, proving it's starting to turn the corner and hang with talented pass-catchers for an entire game.