Todd Bowles skips the field goal, nearly blows Bucs win

Tampa was up 2 scores in the 4th quarter in Dallas, sitting on the Cowboys' 1-yard line on 4th down. Bowles kept the kicker on the sideline.

Greg Auman

@gregauman

Bucs go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1 and Tucker is stopped short, so a turnover on downs inside the 1. Bucs up 24-10, 8:32 left in Dallas.

Tucker got nothing. PFT's recap credits Jaishawn Barham with the stop for no gain, and Dallas took over at its own 1. Before the ball was even spotted, the press box was asking the obvious question: why not just kick it?

Albert Breer

@AlbertBreer

Why go for it there? Kick the field goal, it's a three-possession game, and it's effectively over.

That's the whole argument against it. A field goal makes it 27-10, a 3-possession game with about 8 and a half minutes left, and the Cowboys need a miracle. Going for it gets you a 21-point lead if it works. If it doesn't, you've handed a desperate offense the ball and a little hope. Mike Chappell kept it simple on the spot: kick. Clarence Hill Jr. said the call showed the Bucs had no respect for the Cowboys defense and didn't think Dallas could go 99 yards. Then Dallas went 99 yards.

Greg Auman

@gregauman

That's a 99-yard touchdown drive for the Cowboys -- Dak Prescott touchdown to George Pickens to cap it off. It's suddenly a one-score game in Dallas with 5:26 to play -- two-point fails, so it's 24-16 Bucs.

Dak Prescott drove them the length of the field in 10 plays and found George Pickens for the touchdown. The 2-point try failed, but a game that was pretty much done was suddenly one score with 5:26 left. Pickens finished with 9 catches for 130 yards. Prescott threw for 316 on 24-of-42, though his 2 interceptions are a big reason Tampa held on.

Dallas got the ball back and drove to the Tampa 24 with a chance to tie. Then a Prescott throw bounced off Jake Ferguson's hands, Alex Anzalone picked it with 1:16 left, and the Bucs escaped 24-16. That's their first win of the season. They're 1-4, and Dallas falls to 2-3.

ProFootballTalk

@ProFootballTalk

Although the Bucs won, Tampa's decision to not kick the field goal and go up three scores was indefensible.

Winning doesn't make the call look any better, and the national guys weren't buying it. PFT called it indefensible even with the W. It's an awful look for a coach whose team was 0-4 and starting an undrafted rookie, Jalon Daniels, at quarterback. With that roster, you take your points and run out the clock. Bowles nearly turned a clean first win into a collapse that would've followed him all season, and he's lucky one ball bounced off Ferguson's hands. Next time he's in that spot, the whole league will be watching what he does on 4th down.