After one of the most shocking results of the young NFL season, the previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 24-16 on “Thursday Night Football,” there were more than one seriously disgruntled camper in the tunnels of AT&T Stadium. But Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones may have been the most. FAN. “(We) really need to do it when necessary.” Dallas had made the game a one-possession game and was at the Tampa Bay 24-yard line inside the two-minute warning as the clock continued to tick and the team had its three timeouts. Quarterback Dak Prescott fired a wobbler that sailed through the hands of tight end Jake Ferguson. The ball bounced through the air and landed in the hands of Alex Anzalone, the Buccaneers linebacker. Prime Video cameras captured a disgruntled Jones, whose demeanor didn’t change much as he met with media outside the Cowboys locker room. The Buccaneers rushed for 241 yards on 39 total attempts, with running back Bucky Irving leading the way with 165 rushing yards on 21 carries. Meanwhile, Dallas ran the ball 13 times compared to Prescott’s 42 dropbacks. “They were basically very physical,” Jones said. “I thought on both fronts; I was very surprised how they ran the ball, how they ran it between the tackles. That was surprising. We thought if they were going to run, they would do it outside.” Tampa Bay quarterback Jalon Daniels, an undrafted rookie out of the University of Kansas, earned his first career victory in his second career start as Baker Mayfield recovers from a hand injury. He led an 11-minute scoring drive in the first quarter and finished with 189 yards and a touchdown through the air on 19-of-25 passing. “I thought we’d put everything on their quarterback’s shoulders,” Jones said. “Their staff, their quarterback, all their players got a big win here tonight and it was a tough loss for us.” The Cowboys had three turnovers and struggled to move the ball until the fourth quarter. Dallas’ next game is another primetime matchup, as the Cowboys will travel to Lambeau Field for a “Sunday Night Football” showdown against the Green Bay Packers on October 18.1/7. Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during the 2026 season (David Eulitt, Getty Images) 1/7 Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during the 2026 season (David Eulitt, Getty Images) 2/7Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during the 2026 season Week 1: Houston Texans cheerleaders perform during the game against the Buffalo Bills at Reliant Stadium. (Troy Taormina, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)3/7Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during the 2026 season Week 1: New York Jets fans cheer on their team against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. (Chris Carter, Getty Images) 4/7 Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during the 2026 season Week 1: Jacksonville Jaguars mascot Jaxson de Ville leads the team onto the field before the game against the Cleveland Browns at EverBank Stadium. (Melina Myers, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) 5/7 Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during the 2026 season Week 1: Los Angeles Rams cheerleaders perform at Melbourne Cricket Ground during the NFL International Series game in Australia. (Kirby Lee, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)6/7Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during the 2026 season (MARTIN KEEP, AFP via Getty Images)7/7Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during the 2026 season Week 1: Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil and Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready perform during halftime of the NFL’s inaugural game 2026 between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots at Lumen Field. (Steph Chambers, Getty Images) This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jerry Jones calls Cowboys’ TNF loss to Buccaneers ‘extraordinarily disappointing’
