It’s already Week 5 of the 2026 NFL season, and yet again we have another NFC battle in primetime. Tonight, the 2-2 Dallas Cowboys take on the 0-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers inside of Jerry’s World.
Admittedly, this isn’t an extremely exciting matchup on paper. First of all, it sure feels like NFC teams are getting a large percentage of primetime exposure to start the season. Second, the Buccaneers are dreadful right now, and the Cowboys are their typical selves. Dallas can light the scoreboard up with
the best of them, and quarterback Dak Prescott is playing well right now, but their middling 21st-century ways continues with a .500 record.
Will Tampa Bay finally pick up a win, and on the road, or will Dallas get itself above .500 in Week 5? It’s not going to be easy for the Bucs, which former Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick mentioned last Thursday in previewing this matchup.
Tonight, rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels gets the start with Baker Mayfield still recovering from a gruesome hyper-extended thumb on his throwing hand. It’s already proven tough enough for Tampa Bay with Mayfield this season, so asking an undrafted rookie quarterback to make magic happen seems unwise. Daniels becomes the first undrafted rookie quarterback to start a game in Week 4 or earlier since the AFL/NFL merger in 1970.
Daunting.
Without a doubt, it’s been an awful start for the Buccaneers. Being shorthanded as they are, it might prove difficult to take advantage of a putrid Dallas defense in primetime. No NFL teams has ever made the playoffs after starting 0-5, so you have to expect Tampa Bay to approach Week 5 like an elimination game.
With that, here’s your open thread for Thursday Night Football. As always, be kind to one another — and in all things… Go Bills!
