Cowboys offence with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb set to test struggling Buccaneers

The Dallas Cowboys will be back under the primetime spotlight on Thursday night when they welcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to AT&T Stadium for Week 5. Dallas is coming off a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback win over the Houston Texans, a response to a crushing loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro the previous week. Tampa Bay arrives still searching for its first victory of the season after a flat performance against the Green Bay Packers in the first start of the Jalon Daniels era.

Rookie Jalon Daniels brings mobility against shaky Dallas defence

With Baker Mayfield sidelined by a thumb injury, the Buccaneers have handed the offence to undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels. In his debut, Tampa Bay leaned heavily on the ground game, and while Daniels showed his athleticism as a runner, the passing attack sputtered, producing modest yardage and a pair of interceptions. Several of his rushing attempts came on scrambles, where he turned broken plays into positive gains.

That trait could be significant against a Cowboys defence that has struggled to contain mobile quarterbacks. Dallas has already allowed notable rushing totals to multiple dual‑threat passers this season and ranks near the bottom of the league in both pressure rate and sack rate. Tru Media tracking also shows that opponents scramble frequently against the Cowboys and gain strong yardage when they do. If Daniels can remain composed when the rush gets home, his legs may be Tampa Bay’s best weapon.

On the ground, Bucky Irving leads a backfield that has received limited help from its blockers. Metrics from ESPN and Tru Media place the Buccaneers’ offensive line in the lower tier of the league in both pass‑block and run‑block win rate, and their running backs are gaining very little yardage before contact. Even so, this could be a get‑right opportunity: Dallas is giving up an alarming yards‑per‑carry figure to opposing backs and ranks poorly in both yards allowed before and after contact.

Prescott pilots one of the NFL’s most efficient attacks

As concerning as the Dallas defence has been, the Cowboys’ offence has been equally impressive in a positive direction. Despite running the fewest offensive drives of any team through four weeks, Dallas sits near the top of the league in total points scored. According to Tru Media, the Cowboys are averaging well over three points per drive, a pace that stacks up with some of the most efficient offences since the early 2000s. When Dak Prescott dubbed this group the “Greatest Offense There Is” during the preseason, the early‑season numbers backed up his confidence.

The production has come far more through the air than on the ground. Running back Javonte Williams has found the end zone multiple times but is averaging under four yards per carry and has struggled to produce consistent chunk gains. Instead, Dallas is marching down the field behind Prescott’s precision in the short and intermediate passing game, punctuated by occasional deep shots to CeeDee Lamb and, at times, George Pickens.

Lamb vs. short-handed Bucs secondary headlines key matchups

Lamb is the focal point of everything Dallas does through the air. In his last full season with Prescott he earned First Team All‑Pro honours, piling up well over 100 receptions, nearly 1,800 yards and double‑digit touchdowns. He has started this year just as hot, leading the league in both catches and receiving yards, and there is little evidence that any single defender can reliably check him when he is healthy.

Tampa Bay’s defence under head coach Todd Bowles remains stout against the run, holding opponents to one of the lowest rushing averages in the NFL. The pass defence has been more vulnerable, and the Buccaneers will be without star safety Antoine Winfield Jr. They do get edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. back, and he will likely see plenty of right tackle Terence Steele, who has had issues at times against speed off the edge.

On the other side, Dallas recently added cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to a secondary that has been picked on through the air. He could spend much of the night tracking receiver Emeka Egbuka, forcing Daniels to lean on other options. Even with that reinforcement, the Cowboys’ defence remains a question mark, leaving open the possibility that Tampa Bay can keep things interesting if its line holds up and Daniels settles in.

For the Cowboys, a home win would finally nudge them above .500 after an uneven start. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, are already in danger of falling out of the playoff race if their winless slide continues. Thursday night’s matchup will showcase one of the league’s most explosive offences against a desperate team betting on a rookie quarterback to change its trajectory.