A Stuffed Goal Line and a Near Pick-Six: How One Call Almost Sank the Buccaneers’ Win

The Buccaneers finally snapped their four-game losing streak on Thursday night, beating the Cowboys 24-16, but man, it was a nerve-wracking finish that almost saw HC Todd Bowles’ controversial fourth-down call blow the whole thing. It definitely wasn’t a classic showing, despite Jalon Daniels putting forth an inspired effort in only his second career start and Bucky Irving posting the best numbers of his impressive career. Some of Tampa Bay’s old issues, especially leaving points on the board, totally resurfaced.

Bowles Rolled the Dice and Got Stuffed

After impressing for most of three quarters, Bowles and his squad nearly coughed it up in the fourth. Tampa Bay marched down the field, getting deep into Dallas territory after Daniels hit Emeka Egbuka on third-and-goal. They were up 14 points with just over eight minutes left. Seriously, they were well within their rights to just attempt a chip shot field goal there. A conversion would have pushed their lead to a seemingly insurmountable three possessions!

But nope, Bowles went for the “coup de grace” instead. Daniels and the offense trotted back out, trying to gash the Cowboys’ defense one more time. And you know what happened? Sean Tucker got absolutely stuffed at the goal line. Just like that, Dallas had a route right back into the contest.

The Near Disaster and Anzalone’s Heroics

For a hot second, it looked like the Cowboys were going to snatch that window of opportunity. Dak Prescott found George Pickens in the corner of the end zone, and suddenly Tampa Bay’s lead was down to just eight points. Then came a series of empty Buccaneers’ possessions, including one where Daniels nearly threw a pick-six to DaRon Bland! Talk about giving away the game!

The Buccaneers did hold on in the end, thank goodness, with Alex Anzalone’s interception securing a momentous Tampa Bay win. But that ending? Super nervy, and it’s hardly the sentiment Bowles wants to inspire, especially with his position already feeling precarious.

What a ride, right? Anzalone’s pick sealed a momentous win for Tampa Bay, finally breaking that four-game skid. But man, that ending was nervy, and the issues with leaving points on the board definitely resurfaced. For Bowles, with his position already precarious, that close call has gotta be a major talking point moving forward.

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Originally reported by The Sporting News.