The Dallas Cowboyswon a thriller in Week 4, but there’s no time to rest on their laurels because they’ll be playing on Thursday Night Football as they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’ll be the second consecutive week where the Cowboys are hosting a winless and desperate team, only this time they’ll be at home for the game.
However, unlike last week, there isn’t as much reason to fear the Buccaneers, who look like one of the worst teams in the league. Still, any given Sunday (OK, Thursday) in the NFL, can result in a loss, so the Cowboys cannot ease up after two tough weeks. Here are three reasons to hate the matchup with the Buccaneers in Week 5.
Mobile QB
It’s ironic how the Cowboys are among the worst teams in the league at stopping the run, and mobile
quarterbacks, and yet they’ve gotten a steady diet of them to begin the season. In Week 5, the Buccaneers will throw another running QB at their defense in Jalon Daniels.
The undrafted rookiegot his first start against the Green Bay Packers in Week 4 and threw for just 148 yards but rushed for 55 yards on only eight carries. At Kansas, Daniels rushed for 1,445 yards and 23 scores, so he’s got the legs to stress Dallas’ defense.
A new week, a new challenge for the Cowboys, who have given up an average of 47 yards a game on the ground to quarterbacks.
Tough to run against
Despite not having a win yet, the Buccaneers have one of the best defensive lines in the league. Led by mammoth defensive tackle Vita Vea and A’Shawn Robinson, it’s a unit that has only allowed 78.5 rushing ypg. Nine-year veteran Vea remains one of the top DTs in the league and is tough to move in the running game.
Defensive end Calijah Kancey is also a force against the run, using his quickness to win on the edge.
Through four games, the Buccaneers have only given up one rushing touchdown, and none in the last three weeks. The Cowboys have struggled to run the ball to begin the season but have been better in the last two games and running back Javonte Williams has four rushing scores in Week 3 and 4.
Getting Pro Bowl left guard Tyler Smith back should help the Cowboys run it against a tough front Buccaneers defensive front.
Sounding like the Cowboys are expecting to have 3-time Pro Bowl LG Tyler Smith back for Thursday’s game against the Buccaneers
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 5, 2026
Solid one-two punch RB
The Buccaneers are struggling on offense, but they do have a good RB tandem of Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell. Third-year man Irving is more of the designated runner, while free agent addition Gainwellhandles more of the passing down work, and the duo has combined for two touchdowns this season.
Irving has run it for 4.3 yards a carry this season, but he hasn’t had a lot of opportunity through four weeks. He is just two years removed from a rookie campaign where he ran for 1,122 yards and eight scores while averaging 5.4 ypc, so the talent is there.
Gainwell’s had a slow start in Tampa, but he is coming off his best season in 2025, where he had a career high in rushing and receiving, totaling 1,023 yards and eight touchdowns. The veteran RB got his first score with the Buccaneers in their Week 4 loss.
It's a solid one-two punch that could challenge a Cowboys defense that still needs to find their groove.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: 3 reasons to hate the Cowboys-Bucs matchup include another mobile QB
