Cowboys vs. Buccaneers final score, results: Tampa Bay defense shuts down Dallas offense in dominant Week 1 win

Edward Sutelan

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Cowboys vs. Buccaneers final score, results: Tampa Bay defense shuts down Dallas offense in dominant Week 1 win image

If someone had told Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy that his defense would hold Tom Brady and the Buccaneers to just 19 points in their Week 1 matchup, he likely would have taken that. Why not? His offense produced the most yards and points in the NFL during the 2021 regular season.

But it's a new year, and this is a new Dallas offense with fewer playmakers. And it showed. Even before quarterback Dak Prescott left in the fourth quarter with a hand injury, the Cowboys looked anemic on offense. A first-quarter field goal was their only scoring in a 19-3 Week 1 loss to Tampa Bay.

It was clear early that this game was not going to be the offensive tour de force that many believed it might be. After one quarter, the only points had come from field goals, with Brett Maher's 51-yard boot giving Dallas the early lead and two makes by Ryan Succop putting Tampa Bay up before the end of the frame.

It was more of the same in the second quarter. Tampa Bay had two drives stall out in the red zone, both ending on sacks of Brady by reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Micah Parsons. The Buccaneers twice tried for three. Succop missed his first try from 36 yards out but made his second from 29. He was called on once more just before the end of the half to make a 47-yarder.

MORE: Watch NFL football live with fuboTV (free trial)

The Dallas offense looked lost all game as Prescott clearly missed having a reliable second receiver behind CeeDee Lamb. He had one last year in Amari Cooper, who was traded to the Browns in the offseason. Prescott connected on just 14 of 29 passes for 134 yards with an interception. He found tight end Dalton Schultz the most; five of Prescott's 14 completions went to him. Noah Brown was the leading wide receiver with five receptions, three from Prescott.

Late in the fourth quarter, Prescott abruptly exited the game after back-to-back hits to his throwing hand. Backup QB Cooper Rush. Rush moved the Cowboys to the Tampa Bay 42 with 3:21 left but later turned the ball over on downs. Dallas got the ball back, but Rush could move them only to the Dallas 41 before another turnover on downs.

MORE: Chris Godwin injury update

After the game, it was reported that Prescott would need surgery for an injury to a joint above the thumb on his throwing hand miss several weeks.

It certainly wasn't a vintage performance by Brady, even if he did have a handful of eye-opening throws. The 45-year-old quarterback completed 18 of 27 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown with an interception.

Running back Leonard Fournette shouldered a heavy load. Though he didn't score a touchdown, he had 127 yards on 21 carries as he consistently picked up big yardage by rushing to the left side.

MORE: Why Buccaneers' Jake Camarda had to re-kick on 'Sunday Night Football'

The Sporting News tracked live scoring updates and highlights from Cowboys vs. Buccaneers. Below are the key moments from the first "Sunday Night Football" game of the 2022 NFL season.

Cowboys vs. Buccaneers score

  Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 F
Buccaneers 6 6 7 0 19
Cowboys 3 0 0 0 3

Cowboys vs. Buccaneers updates, highlights from Sunday night football

(All times Eastern)

Fourth quarter

11:19 p.m.: Check-down pass to Pollard, who can't get the ball past the first-down marker, and that will do it as Dallas turns the ball over on downs. Brady will take two kneel downs and open the year with a 19-3 win.

11:19 p.m.: Vita Vea sacks Rush to bring up a 3rd-and-25, but he picks those yards up with a 13-yard pass to Schultz. Fourth down upcoming.

11:17 p.m.: Rush is chased out of the pocket and throws the ball away, and it looks like he's going to be flagged for intentional grounding with no one in the area and the ball not crossing the line of scrimmage. Cowboys are now backed up to a 2nd-and-23 with a 10-second runoff.

11:15 p.m.: Brown makes a leaping catch up the middle of the field for a gain of 17 to the Dallas 43 right before the two-minute warning.

11:14 p.m.: Fehoko makes a 7-yard grab up to the Dallas 19 to bring up 3rd-and-3, but Rush's next pass carries well over Lamb. Fourth down coming up.

11:13 p.m.: Elliott drops a pass in the flat from Rush to start the drive.

11:12 p.m.: Camarda's booming punt goes 43 yards, and is returned three yards up by Turpin to the Dallas 19 with 2:47 left.

11:11 p.m.: Perriman is blown up on an end-around for a loss of seven yards. Dallas is all out of timeouts now with 2:59 remaining in the game. Tampa Bay will punt on 4th-and-11.

11:10 p.m.: White rushes ahead for a gain of two to bring up a 3rd-and-4. Dallas burns its second timeout with 3:04 remaining.

11:08 p.m.: White starts the Tampa Bay drive with a gain of four, and Dallas immediately uses its first timeout at 3:08.

11:06 p.m.: Rush tries to hit Fehoko on a deep pass down the right sideline, but he can't hold onto it. Tampa Bay will get the ball back at its own 42 with 3:14 remaining.

11:05 p.m.: White gets to Rush and sacks him for a critical loss of 10 yards. With under four minutes left, Dallas has no choice but to go for it on 4th-and-15.

11:04 p.m.: Rush hits Simi Fehoko for the former Stanford receiver's first NFL reception. 3rd-and-5.

11:02 p.m.: Barrett thought he had the clock timed up well, but jumped early trying to get to Rush. The Cowboys backup QB hits Schultz for a 5-yard gain on 4th-and-1 to give Dallas a first down at the Tampa Bay 37.

11:01 p.m.: Prescott was injured after he was hit by Shaq Barrett on that Brown completion, and he goes off to the sideline to get his hand looked at. Cooper Rush is in at quarterback, and misses Lamb on back-to-back pass attempts to bring up fourth down.

11 p.m.: Another catch by Brown, who again picks up the first down after a gain of 13 up the middle.

10:59 p.m.: Brown gets open on an out route to catch a pass by Prescott and take it for a gain of 22 out to the Dallas 36. Next pass by Prescott out to Lamb goes incomplete.

10:58 p.m.: Following a false start penalty, Camarda's punt is fair caught at the Dallas 14-yard line. The Cowboys have seven minutes left on the scoreboard to try and climb back from a two-score deficit.

10:55 p.m.: Dallas blitz nearly gets to Brady, but he's able to get a pass away that Brate nearly catches for a first down, though it falls incomplete. Tarell Basham is injured on the play after falling at Brady's feet.

10:53 p.m.: White rushes out to the right for a gain of five, Darden gains two on an end-around and the clock keeps winding down, with Tampa Bay facing a 3rd-and-3 from the 45.

10:52 p.m.: Parsons nearly chases White down as the running back tries to hit the edge, but White just gets past the first-down marker for a gain of three up to the 38.

10:51 p.m.: White darts up the middle for a modest gain of two. 3rd-and-2 coming up for Tampa Bay at its 35.

10:50 p.m.: Gage hauls in his second pass of the quarter and the game, this one for six yards out to the right.

10:49 p.m.: Fournette's strong night continues as he rushes down the left sideline for 14 yards and a first.

10:46 p.m.: Fair catch called for by Darden at the Tampa Bay 13-yard line. Buccaneers will have another chance to keep ticking time off the clock with 11:12 remaining and a 16-point lead.

10:45 p.m.: A carry by Elliott gets the Cowboys up to midfield, but Prescott misses Houston on a back-shoulder pass down the field. Prescott rolls out and throws it to Brown, who was wide open in the field, but the ball was behind Brown and wide to his right. Punt coming up for the Cowboys.

10:41 p.m.: Russell Gage brings in his first catch of the night with a gain of six out to the right, then Brady throws an interception right to safety Donovan Wilson. Cowboys get a chance to start at their own 48.

10:40 p.m.: For one of the few times tonight, Fournette is bottled up for a modest gain of one.

10:37 p.m.: White nearly picks off Prescott on the attempt — and very possibly could have taken it to the house had he brought it down — but instead, it's an incomplete pass out to Houston. The Buccaneers will take over at their own 41 leading by 16 with 13:31 remaining on "Sunday Night Football."

10:36 p.m.: Prescott finds Schultz for their fifth connection of the night, this one for 13 yards down the left side, three yards shy of the first. Pollard tries to rush for the first, but is stopped two yards shy of the first. At Tampa Bay's 41, the Cowboys will go for it on fourth.

10:35 p.m.: Pollard kicks off the fourth quarter with a rush for a first, but Steele is flagged for holding. He's now been called for three penalties on this drive. This one wipes away a first down and brings up 2nd-and-16 at the Dallas 45.

Third Quarter

10:30 p.m.: Prescott connects with Lamb for a 13-yard gain and a first, but Terence Steele is called for his second false start on the drive. Pollard rushes up for a gain of nine to the Tampa Bay 45 to set up a 2nd-and-6 as the third quarter comes to an end.

10:29 p.m.: Cowboys gain five on a completion to Schultz, but a false start moves them right back to a 2nd-and-10.

10:28 p.m.: After a defensive offsides penalty, Prescott hits Schultz for a gain of 14 to give Dallas the first at its own 38. Huge pickup of a first for the Cowboys.

10:26 p.m.: Prescott's rough outing continues. He misses Brown on the first play, and then is sacked by Anthony Nelson back at Dallas' 19 for a loss of six. Cowboys face a 3rd-and-16.

10:26 p.m.: The Cowboys will start the next drive at the 25 after a touchback.

10:22 p.m. Buccaneers scoring play: Evans makes an incredible, one-handed snag on a touch pass from Brady to the back-left corner of the end zone with 3:23 left in the quarter. Dallas now trails by 16. Buccaneers extend their lead to 19-3.

10:21 p.m.: Buccaneers have their best TD chance of the night as Brady hits Evans on a slant route for a gain of 17 yards out to Dallas' 5.

10:19 p.m.: Safety Jayron Kearse was injured on a 3-yard rush by Fournette, and he'll limp to the sideline.

10:17 p.m.: Evans makes a clutch catch for the Buccaneers for a gain of 10, boxing out Anthony Brown to pick up the first down at the Dallas 25.

10:16 p.m.: Brady nearly connects with Jones on a deep pass down the left sideline for 38 yards, but he can't haul it in. Second-and-10 coming up.

10:14 p.m.: Now a gain of nine for Fournette and a carry for 17 yards up to Dallas' 42. He is having no problems running behind this banged-up Tampa Bay line, as he's already up to 109 yards on 18 carries.

10:14 p.m.: Fournette starts the Tampa Bay drive with a gain of 11 yards.

10:11 p.m.: The Buccaneers will start their drive at their own 21 after a 58-yard punt from Anger and 9-yard return by Darden.

10:10 p.m.: Devin White gets to Prescott for a sack to force Dallas to punt from its own 30.

10:09 p.m.: A penalty wipes away a 4-yard reception by Pollard, but Elliott brings those yards back with a gain of five. Pollard then catches another pass with a catch for four to make it a 3rd-and-6 at the Dallas 37.

10:07 p.m.: Rushes of six and seven yards for Elliott, as he moves Dallas up to the 33.

10:04 p.m.: Booming punt by Camarda carries 63 yards and bounces into the endzone for a touchback. Dallas will start at its own 20.

10:03 p.m.: Jake Camarda's first NFL punt hits the video board in Dallas, which means the punt will be reset. His second punt backs Dallas up, but the Cowboys are flagged for running into the punter. The punt will be replayed again, this time from five yards closer.

9:59 p.m.: Buccaneers are backed up five yards on a false start, and Brady tries a deep shot for Perriman that is batted away incomplete by Trevon Diggs and safety Malik Hooker.

9:57 p.m.: After a short rush of two by Fournette, White catches a pass out wide for just a gain of one. Buccaneers already facing a 3rd-and-7 from their own 38.

9:56 p.m.: Evans is back out on the field for the Buccaneers as Fournette rushes up the middle for a gain of 10 yards. 

9:55 p.m.: The Buccaneers will start the second half at the 25. Chris Godwin has been ruled out for the rest of the game with a hamstring injury.

Second Quarter

9:48 p.m.: In addition to Godwin, Evans appears to have been banged up during the first half.

9:41 p.m.: Turpin's return goes out only to the 15, and Prescott opts to kneel down. Dallas heads to the locker room trailing the Buccaneers 12-3.

9:37 p.m. Buccaneers scoring play: Succop's kick from 47 yards out is good. Dallas will get the ball trailing by nine with 14 seconds left. Buccaneers extend their lead to 12-3.

9:36 p.m.: Brady fires another missile out to Perriman, but the ball sails too high. Succop will come out for his fifth field goal try already. He's 3-for-4 so far.

9:35 p.m.: Back-to-back incompletions, first a deep shot to Breshad Perriman in the end zone and then a mid-range toss out to Brate. Buccaneers facing a 3rd-and-10 from the Dallas 29 with 25 seconds left in the half.

9:34 p.m.: Vintage Brady to vintage Julio. Brady finds Jones deep down the left sideline for 48 yards.

9:33 p.m.: Brady finds Godwin for a gain of five, but the receiver comes off limping after the play. He tore his ACL late in the 2021 season. Brady then connects with Fournette for one and Brate for seven to move up to Tampa Bay's 23.

9:31 p.m.: Brady is going to have a long way to work as the punt by Anger goes 53 yards and pins the Buccaneers back at the Tampa Bay 10-yard line.

9:28 p.m.: Shaq Barrett drills Prescott as he's releasing the throw, and Dallas is fortunate the floating ball isn't picked off. After the two-minute warning, the Cowboys will punt the ball from their own 37.

9:27 p.m.: Back-to-back incompletions for Prescott. He again tries to force a pass into double coverage, this time to Lamb.

9:26 p.m.: Great read by Prescott on a speed option as he elects not to flip it to Turpin and keep it himself, rushing for a gain of 12 and a Cowboys' first down.

9:25 p.m.: Tyler Smith picks up the first false start penalty of his career.

9:25 p.m.: Turpin notches his best kick return of the day, bringing this kick out to the 24 for a return of 21 yards.

9:22 p.m. Buccaneers scoring play: This time, Succop's try from 29 yards out is good with 3:27 left in the half. Buccaneers extend lead to 9-3.

9:21 p.m.: Fournette can't pick up the first down, and Parsons makes the Buccaneers pay as he gets to Brady on the 3rd-and-3 try for his second straight red-zone sack. Buccaneers will have to try for another field goal.

9:19 p.m.: The Buccaneers are back in the red zone as Jones, on his second jet sweep, takes it 12 yards down the right sideline to the Dallas 11.

9:18 p.m.: First turnover of the game as Winfield picks off Prescott, who was trying to hit Brown. He threw that into double coverage, and Winfield takes it from the Dallas 38 15 yards down to the 23. Great field position for Tampa Bay.

9:16 p.m.: Prescott rolls out to his right on a play-action and hits Lamb for a gain of 20 yards, but Lamb is called for pass interference after he shoved Antoine Winfield. Cowboys now face a 1st-and-20 from their own 16.

9:15 p.m.: It hasn't been an ideal Week 1 for kickers, and that extends now to Succop, who misses a 36-yard try that would have pushed Tampa Bay's lead up to six.

9:11 p.m.: 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year Micah Parsons making his presence felt, blowing up left tackle Donovan Smith for a sack of Brady to force Tampa Bay to settle for a field goal. Smith was injured on the play.

9:10 p.m.: Rachaad White rushes for a loss of one, but Brady finds Godwin for a gain of six on the next play to move the Buccaneers up to the 14, now facing a 3rd-and-5.

9:09 p.m.: Fournette rushed for a loss of one, but more than redeemed the run for a loss, catching a pass down the left sideline for nine and then rushing 10 yards down that way again to move out to the Cowboys' 13.

9:07 pm..: Following a run of three by Fournette, Brady finds Jones for a gain of 13 up to the Cowboys' 31.

9:05 p.m.: Jones picks up the first down with a jet sweep toward the right side for a gain of five yards.

9:05 p.m.: Fournette starts the drive with gains of six and two to bring up a 3rd-and-2 for the Buccaneers.

9:03 p.m.: Lamb can't make the contested catch on a slant route that would have given Dallas a first down. Instead, Anger punts it again. Darden returns the ball nine yards from the Buccaneers' 30 out to the 39.

First Quarter

8:59 p.m.: First quarter comes to a close after Pollard rushes for a yard and Schultz catches a pass for five. When the game returns, Cowboys will be facing a 3rd-and-4 from their own 16.

8:58 p.m.: Improved return from KaVontae Turpin out to the Dallas 20 from his first return, but a holding penalty brings him back 10 yards. So far, Cowboys have an average starting field position of the 12-yard line.

8:55 p.m. Buccaneers scoring play: Kickers have accounted for all the offense so far. Succop's field goal is good as Tampa Bay takes its first lead of the night with 1:06 left. Buccaneers take a 6-3 lead.

8:54 p.m.: Brady misses two passes to Evans and Jones, with a rush of five by Fournette sandwiched in between, and Succop will come out to kick from 38 yards out.

8:52 p.m.: Mason opens up a hole for Fournette, who hits it for a gain of 17 up to the Dallas 25.

8:51 p.m.: A gain of 19 on another laser from Brady out to Evans along the left sideline. He then finds Julio Jones for a gain of eight. That was his shortest completion of the day, as he's now 4-for-4 with 71 yards.

8:48 p.m.: Bryan Anger with a solid punt of 51 out to the Buccaneers' 22, but Jaelon Darden weaves his way down the left side for a return of nine.

8:46 p.m.: Nearly an interception as Prescott's pass out to Lamb is tipped by Lavonte David, and Jamel Dean can't make the diving snag. Next throw is also incomplete out to Schultz. Dallas will have to punt.

8:45 p.m.: Elliott is off to a hot start tonight. He rushes for seven yards, and leads the game with five carries for 27 yards. False start by Dallas backs the Cowboys up five yards after the play, however.

8:44 p.m.: This time, Dallas starts its drive at its own 25. 5:05 left in the first quarter.

8:41 p.m. Buccaneers scoring play: Succop drills the 44-yard try to even the game. Buccaneers tie the game at 7-7.

8:40 p.m.: Demarcus Lawrence bursts through the line past Shaq Mason and stops Fournette behind the line for a loss of a yard. Ryan Succop on for the field goal try.

8:39 p.m.: Fournette takes a carry seven yards ahead, but is stopped for only two on his next rush. First third down of the game for Tampa Bay at the Dallas 25.

8:38 p.m.: Following a run by Leonard Fournette of two yards, Brady fires a bullet to Mike Evans 20 yards downfield. No rust for him either after missing some time in the preseason.

8:37 p.m.: Chris Godwin was questionable to play this game, but he looks more than healthy. He catches a wide receiver screen and takes it 24 yards up field out to the Tampa Bay 44.

8:36 p.m.: Tampa Bay's drive will now start five more yards back after a false start is called on Cameron Brate.

8:35 p.m.: The Buccaneers will begin at the 25 after a touchback.

8:32 p.m. Cowboys scoring play: Brett Maher makes the long field goal to put Dallas on the board with 9:06 remaining in the half. Cowboys take a 3-0 lead.

8:31 p.m.: Pollard was tackled for a loss of a yard, and Lamb hits Schultz trying to make a catch on a wide receiver screen. Then Prescott misses Schultz downfield, and the Cowboys will have to try a 51-yard field goal.

8:30 p.m.: Prescott hits Noah brown for a 9-yard gain to pick up the first and keep the drive alive out to Tampa's 31.

8:29 p.m.: Cowboys face a third down after an incompletion and short rush of two yards for Elliott. 3rd-and-8 for Dallas at the Tampa Bay 40.

8:27 p.m.: Elliott picks up the first down with a rush of four up the middle, but left guard Connor McGovern was injured on the play.

8:26 p.m.: Cowboys try to flip the ball to Tony Pollard, but he is caught eight yards behind the line for a big loss. Prescott picks most of that back up, however, with passes to Dennis Houston for 11 and a pass to CeeDee Lamb for 16. Elliott then carries for 6 up to the Buccaneers' 47 with 12:35 on the clock.

8:24 p.m.: Prescott starts the drive with an 8-yard pass out to Dalton Schultz, and Ezekiel Elliott follows that with a rush for 7 up to the Cowboys' 28.

8:23 p.m.: Not an ideal start for the Cowboys as the kick return spots them only out to the Dallas 14.

8:13 p.m.: Carrie Underwood kicks off the "Sunday Night Football" program with her staple song ahead of the Buccaneers vs. Cowboys clash.

8:04 p.m.: Think Tom Brady's ready for his first game since retiring and un-retiring?

8 p.m.: Dak Prescott is taking his role as leader of the Cowboys quite literally with his cleats.

What time is the NFL game tonight?

  • Date: Sunday, Sept. 11
  • Time: 8:20 p.m. ET | 7:20 p.m. CT

The Cowboys and Buccaneers will kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET, 7:20 p.m. local time. The game will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

What channel is Cowboys vs. Buccaneers on today?

  • TV channel: NBC
  • Live stream: NBC Sports app | Peacock | fuboTV | DAZN (Canada)

This will be the first "Sunday Night Football" game of the year that is being played on Sunday. Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (analyst) and Melissa Stark (sideline reporter) will be on the call again after announcing the "Sunday Night Football" matchup on Thursday to open the season, Bills vs. Rams.

Streamers will be able to watch the game via NBCSports.com or Peacock, or by using fuboTV, which comes with a free trial.

Viewers in Canada can watch the game on DAZN with a subscription.

Below are the top TV markets in the United States and the NBC affiliate/TV channel for each.

Market NBC TV channel (digital)
New York 4 (36)
Los Angeles 4 (36)
Chicago 5 (29)
Philadelphia 10 (34)
Dallas-Fort Worth 5 (24)
San Francisco/Bay Area 11 (12)
Washington, D.C. 4 (48)
Houston 2 (35)
Boston 15 (43)
Atlanta 11 (10)
Phoenix 12 (12)
Tampa/St. Petersburg 8 (7)
Seattle 5 (48)
Detroit 4 (45)
Minneapolis-St. Paul 11 (11)
Miami 6 (31)
Denver 9 (9)
Orlando 2 (11)
Cleveland 3 (17)
Sacramento 3 (35)
Charlotte 36 (22)
Portland 8 (8)
St. Louis 5 (35)
Pittsburgh 11 (23)
Baltimore 11 (11)
Raleigh-Durham 5 (48)
Nashville 4 (10)
San Diego 39 (40)
Salt Lake City 5 (38)
San Antonio 3 (16)
Kansas City 41 (36)
Columbus 4 (14)
Milwaukee 4 (28)
Cincinnati 5 (35)
Las Vegas 3 (22)
Jacksonville 12 (13)
Oklahoma City 4 (27)
New Orleans 6 (43)
Memphis 5 (5)
Buffalo 2 (33)

Edward Sutelan

Edward Sutelan Photo

Edward Sutelan joined The Sporting News in 2021 after covering high school sports for PennLive. Edward graduated from The Ohio State University in 2019, where he gained experience covering the baseball, football and basketball teams. Edward also spent time working for The Columbus Dispatch and Cape Cod Times.