Cowboys beat Tampa Bay 26-24 as Baker Mayfield and the Bucs lose control of their playoff fate

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Baker Mayfield came home to Texas looking to keep his Tampa Bay Buccaneers on track for the playoffs.

Instead, they’ll need some help.

Cooper Rush threw a touchdown pass and Brandon Aubrey kicked two 58-yarders among four field goals Sunday night, boosting the Dallas Cowboys to a 26-24 victory that cost the Bucs control of their playoff fate.

The end of a four-game winning streak left Tampa Bay (8-7) even with Atlanta atop the NFC South with two games remaining. The Falcons have the tiebreaker because they won both meetings with the Bucs, who are on a four-year playoff run.

“We lost, we fell back in the pack,” coach Todd Bowles said. “We’ve got to eat it, can’t spend too much time on it. We had our chances. We’ve got to take care of us and let everything else take care of itself.”

A three-year playoff streak for the Cowboys (7-8) ended when they were eliminated from postseason contention before the prime-time kickoff. Still, Dallas won for the fourth time in five games since a five-game losing streak that put those playoff hopes in peril.

Dallas’ hopes officially ended about four hours before the game when Washington scored in the final seconds to beat Philadelphia.

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“There wasn’t a whole lot of conversation about it,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “I made the point before the game, `Jjust play the way we always play. We’re playing really dang good football these past four, five weeks. Let’s grind this thing out.’”

Mayfield, the former Texas high school standout playing not far from his Heisman Trophy-winning days at Oklahoma, was in position to lead a rally from a nine-point deficit late when he escaped a sack and shoveled the ball to Rachaad White in the final two minutes.

DaRon Bland ripped the ball out of White’s hands before the Tampa Bay running back hit the ground at the Bucs 32, allowing the Cowboys to run out the clock.

Mayfield threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns, including a 13-yarder to Ryan Miller that pulled the Bucs within two with 2:36 to go.

The Bucs got the ball back with 1:40 remaining, but the next play was the big one from Bland, who forced his first turnover in an injury-plagued season a year after the cornerback set an NFL record with five interception returns for touchdowns.

White initially was carrying the ball in one hand away from his body after getting it from Mayfield before pulling it into his body and Bland closed in.

“He had two hands on the ball, obviously you’ve got to be careful,” Mayfield said. “The same thing happened to me earlier in the game. They made some plays when it mattered. It’s all about the ball, and they did good taking it away.”

The Cowboys appeared in firm control when Jourdan Lewis took the ball away from Jalen McMillan for an interception at the Dallas goal line on a deep throw with about six minutes remaining.

Dallas failed to get a first down after that turnover, and again after the Bucs pulled within two. The defense came through again, though.

“When we had to have it with the takeaways there in the fourth quarter, it’s remarkable, just to see the bounce-back,” McCarthy said.

A Tampa Bay defense that allowed an NFL-low 15 points during the winning streak had trouble early trying to slow Rush and receiver CeeDee Lamb, who had a 100-yard first half for the second week in a row.

Lamb, who has been battling a bum right shoulder most of the season, came down hard on it again on a 52-yard catch in the second quarter. After going to the bench, Lamb returned for a catch underneath and fought his way inside the 1-yard line to set up Ezekiel Elliott’s plunge for a 20-7 Dallas lead.

Lamb finished with 105 yards after getting 100 before the break a week after going for 105 first-half yards, and 116 total, in a 30-14 victory at Carolina. Rush threw for 292 yards with a 10-yard TD to Jalen Tolbert in the first quarter.

Mayfield needed less than a minute on a drive to his 11-yard touchdown pass to Jalen McMillan in the final minute of the first half, but the Cowboys answered with Aubrey’s second 58-yard field goal on the final play before the break for a 23-14 lead.

“I’ve said it all along, this group will not quit,” Mayfield said. “That’s the standard that we try to set. It’d be nice to not have to be in that situation, if we’d take care of business earlier in the game.”

Long-distance duel

With his three field goals of at least 50 yards, Aubrey has 14 for the season, an NFL record. Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn has 13, so the record remains up for grabs.

Injuries

Tampa Bay WR Sterling Shepard was ruled out in the second half with a hamstring injury. ... Cowboys LB Eric Kendricks was inactive with a calf injury after going through a pregame workout.

Up next

Buccaneers: Host Carolina next Sunday.

Cowboys: At Philadelphia next Sunday.

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