The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finally got their name in the win column on Thursday night, upsetting the Dallas Cowboys 24-16 at AT&T Stadium. Tampa came in 0-4 and Dallas got out to an early 7-0 lead. But the Bucs fought back and took over in the third quarter, scoring 17 straight points to flip the game.
Their defense helped a lot, picking off two passes from Dak Prescott and recovering a fumble from KaVontae Turpin, forcing three Dallas turnovers. Tampa also got the run game going again, with Bucky Irving rushing for 165 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries (7.9 yards per carry). But the biggest surprise of the game was arguably Jalon Daniels.
The undrafted rookie quarterback made his second straight start in place of the injured Baker Mayfield, and looked like a seasoned veteran under center. He finished the game 19 of 25 for 189 yards and one touchdown with zero interceptions, along with 23 rushing yards on seven carries. After the game, Daniels was asked whether he sees himself as the rookie he is or just another NFL quarterback.
"I look at myself as if I'm a UDFA rookie going out there and just trying to be able to make plays," Daniels said. "At the end of the day, I know where I came from, and I think that's key, being able to remember where you came from. Obviously, you don't want to harp on the past, you don't want to look too far in the future, you want to stay where your feet are, but you have to be able to remember who you are and where you come from because at the end of the day, I think that's my main motivation and why I continue to keep being the person I am." More news: Raiders’ Ashton Jeanty Hit With Injury Setback Before Patriots Game Daniels spent six seasons at Kansas before arriving in the NFL.
He was a mere three-star recruit coming out of Lawndale High School in California, with Kansas and Syracuse being his only offers from Power Five schools. He quickly climbed the depth chart, though, starting six games as a freshman before bouncing between starter and backup the next few years. Daniels started each of his final two seasons with the Jayhawks and had one of his best seasons last year, completing 62.1% of his passes for a career-high 2,531 yards and 22 touchdowns with seven interceptions, along with 404 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.
As a 6-foot-1, 220-pound quarterback whose college career was a bit of a mixed bag, it's easy to see why he went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft. But it looks like he's landed in the perfect spot and is quickly making a name for himself. More news: Jets Hit With Double Injury Blow Ahead of Browns Game More news: Packers Make Emergency Backfield Move Ahead of Bears Showdown Mayfield was paid to be the Bucs franchise quarterback, but he's still set to miss at least the next few weeks after dislocating his right thumb.
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