Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) rushes the ball against Dallas Cowboys linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku (6) at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers earned a chance to erase their brutal winless start against the Dallas Cowboys Thursday. So they pulled off a wild tactic inside AT&T Stadium. Head coach Todd Bowles and backup quarterback Jalon Daniels leaned into some epic ball control here.
Which ate up nearly 11 minutes off the time clock.
Tampa watched the Cowboys score first on their opening drive. So the Bucs retaliated by putting together a 15-play, 73-yard one.
However, Cowboys insider for ESPN Todd Archer revealed that this drive matched a previous high NFL mark.
“From ESPN Research: The Bucs' 10:51 time of possession on opening drive, longest opening drive by TOP by any team since 2022 (Ravens, Week 2, 2022 vs MIA, 10:52),” Archer posted on the social media website X, formerly Twitter.
Tampa leaned into Daniels' arm to start that drive, which became his second straight start following Baker Mayfield sitting with an NFL Injury. Daniels hit wide receiver Emeka Egbuka for a three-yard connection to get to the TB 30-yard line. Then fellow wide receiver Chris Godwin touched the ball, but on a designed wide receiver end around that also hit three yards.
But the dual-threat Daniels turned to his legs on play No. 3, gaining five yards in calling his own number. Daniels later found tight end Cade Otton for a 10-yard gain in becoming the first biggest gain of the night for TB. Daniels hit Otton again for a four-yard catch to keep the drive alive on third down.
Daniels and Tampa moved backwards momentarily following a sack. But a defensive holding call by Dallas cornerback DaRon Bland handed TB the first down. Godwin delivered the biggest gain on a 14-yard catch. Daniels capped the drive by hitting Bucky Irving from five yards.