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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Rapid Reaction: Buccaneers 19, Cowboys 3

The Buccaneers come out victorious in Week One over the Cowboys, led by a dominant defensive output

Bucs vs. Cowboys
Bucs vs. Cowboys

In a Prime-Time showdown, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Dallas Cowboys on their home turf. The club's defense spurred the victory in Arlington.

During the first half, the Buccaneers held a yardage advantage of 219 to 95, however, they repeatedly stalled inside the 30, culminating in a 12-3 lead at halftime off the leg of Ryan Succop. Despite an instinctual Antoine Winfield Jr. interception in the second quarter, the Buccaneers offense had to settle for three after Tom Brady was sacked by Micah Parsons on third down. The Bucs operated predominately out of a short-passing attack to try and mitigate the Cowboys' pass rush, utilizing a heavy dose of screens and intermediate shots over the middle of the field, which set up the running game. The highlight came on a 48-yard connection between Brady and Julio Jones as No. 6 showcased his straight line speed.

Early in the third quarter, the Bucs reached the end zone at last. In a highlight-worthy play, Brady hit Mike Evans in the back of the end zone on a back shoulder fade to extend the club's lead, 19-3. A 17-yard gain by Leonard Fournette moved the chains and put Tampa Bay in favorable field position. Throughout the second half, the Bucs ground game took off with Fournette's power on inside and outside zone runs. He eclipsed the 100-yard marker, finishing with 127 rushing yards on 21 attempts. Inside linebacker Devin White spearheaded the defensive effort, amassing 2.0 sacks for 17 yards and six tackles. With rare closing speed and read/react skills, White put on a show. The Buccaneers' defense held the Cowboys to 244 total yards on 11 possessions. The Cowboys converted just three of 15 third-down attempts.

View the top photos of Tampa Bay's Week 1 matchup vs. the Dallas Cowboys.

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