Buccaneers lose division lead after turnovers prove costly in loss to Cowboys

Even though the Cowboys were eliminated from the playoffs after the comeback win from the Washington Commanders against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, the win was Dallas' third in its last four games.

After back-to-back games with multiple TD passes, QB Cooper Rush had another efficient performance with 292 passing yards and one TD. While Rush was held to that one TD, he made the most of it with this dime to WR Jalen Tolbert that produced the first TD of the game for Dallas late in the first quarter.

WR Ceedee Lamb had seven catches for 105 yards, which is the seventh time he has recorded 90 or more receiving yards this season. After his efforts on Sunday night, Lamb is now tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin for the most consecutive 1,000 yard seasons (four) in Cowboys history.

Although the Cowboys' run game was non-existent (31 yards), their defense made some plays throughout the night, including four sacks and this insane interception from Jourdan Lewis with just over six minutes remaining that kept Dallas in the lead, 26-17.

Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield had 303 passing yards, two TDs and one interception. Tampa Bay was a perfect 3-for-3 in the red zone in the loss.

Considering the Buccaneers (8-7) lost both games to the Atlanta Falcons (8-7) this season, the Falcons own the tiebreaker over their NFC South rivals with two games left to play. A win from Tampa Bay on Sunday night would have put it in the driver's seat to win the division with a pair of home games against the Carolina Panthers (4-11) and New Orleans Saints (5-9) remaining. 

The road to a division title just became a lot more challenging for a Buccaneers team that had won their last four games prior to Week 16.

According to Next Gen Stats, The Falcons now have a 54% chance to win the division compared to the Buccaneers (46%). While Tampa Bay's postseason odds could have improved to 88% with a win, the Buccaneers now have a 51% chance after the narrow loss.

While Dallas continues to compete with its playoff hopes dashed, Tampa Bay needs some help to overcome a costly road loss on Sunday and improve its current playoff position.