Jalon Daniels, the undrafted rookie making only his second start for the injured Baker Mayfield, orchestrated a monstrous 15-play, 73-yard drive that absolutely ate up 10 minutes and 58 seconds off the clock. That relentless march ended with the Bucs tying the Cowboys 7-7. Seriously, talk about making a statement right out of the gate.
Daniels’ Flawless Drive Stats Are Hard to Ignore
This kid, Daniels, looked completely dialed in on that opening drive. He didn’t just manage the game; he ran the show. He completed a perfect 8 of 8 passes for 49 yards and, yeah, a touchdown! Not only that, he tacked on 11 yards on two carries with his legs, keeping the chains moving. The payoff? Bucky Irving snatching a 5-yard touchdown pass from Daniels to knot things up. It was an opening drive as impressive as anything the Cowboys put together. You gotta be hyped seeing an undrafted guy step up like that in just his second start!
Cowboys’ D Gave Up Too Much on That Scoring Drive
While Daniels was doing his thing, the Cowboys’ defense shot themselves in the foot, big time. They racked up three defensive penalties on that drive alone. The worst one? A defensive holding call on DaRon Bland that wiped out what would have been a huge sack of Daniels by Shemar James on third down. That’s a back-breaker! Instead of getting off the field, the Cowboys handed the Bucs a fresh set of downs, and Daniels and the offense made them pay. You just cannot be giving up free yardage and negated sacks against a guy who’s already playing with house money. This defense has to tighten up, like, right now.
This isn’t just an opening drive score, folks. It sets a serious tone for the Bucs. With Daniels stepping up big time, keeping drives alive and playing flawlessly, you gotta wonder how the Cowboys defense is gonna respond to this kind of relentless pressure.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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