The Dallas Cowboys threw a wrench into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFC South division title hopes on Sunday thanks to clutch plays from the defense when it mattered the most.
Crucial Buccaneers drives were stopped dead in its tracks. In the fourth quarter, Baker Mayfield was intercepted in the end zone by Jourdan Lewis. Then, as the Buccaneers tried to final some last-minute gusto, saw running back Rachaad White get stripped by DaRon Bland.
The two fourth quarter turnovers helped Dallas solidify a 26-24 win.
Cooper Rush was 26-of-35 with 292 passing yards and a touchdown pass to Jalen Tolbert. CeeDee Lamb had seven catches for 105 yards. But the story of the game was the defense.
Mayfield was sacked four times to go along with the interception and White’s fumble. He had 304 passing yards and two touchdown passes but struggled to find a consistent rhythm.
Chauncey Golston, Micah Parsons, Donovan Wilson and Linval Joseph each had a sack.
The Cowboys were only held to three points in the second half but did enough to crush Tampa Bay’s hopes when it mattered the most.
Dallas was eliminated from playoff contention before the game started but they were determined enough to make it more difficult for Tampa Bay to win the NFC South.
The Buccaneers fell to 8-7 and are behind the Falcons despite having the same record. Atlanta defeated Tampa Bay twice this season.
With two games left in the regular season, the Buccaneers have the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints left on the schedule.
There are usually mixed reactions when NFL referees flag pass interference.
League policy does not include language to explain what constitutes pass interference, so it is still considered a judgment call.
Jon Gruden, who coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the franchise's first-ever Super Bowl title in 2002, weighed in on the often criticized rule.
In the NFL, when officials call pass interference, the ball is placed at the spot of the foul. There have been instances where a pass interference call has resulted in a team benefiting from 25 or more penalty yards before the next snap.
After admitting pass interference was one of his top worries for the NFL, Gruden suggested the league adopt a penalty similar to what college football enforces. Instead of placing the ball where the foul occurred, Gruden would prefer the ball only move 15 yards per penalty.
"I would make it the college rule, honestly, because some of these pass interference calls are impacting the game, just one play there," Gruden said during a recent appearance on the "Pardon My Take" podcast.
Gruden then brought up the subjective nature of the call.
"I don’t think there’s a common thread in what is and what isn’t pass interference," he said. "I think this crew calls it a little different from that crew. That is a penalty right now that, I think, has taken over a lot of these games."
After the podcast co-host suggested an NFL quarterback could simply underthrow a ball and be rewarded with free yardage, Gruden argued pass interference should only be applied in situations where it was clear and "obvious" a foul was committed.
"Jerry Austin taught me that pass interference should call itself. We should all be sitting in a bar in Chicago and go, ‘That’s PI.' It should be a common, obvious pass interference. Otherwise, let these guys play. That's my feeling."
In 2019, the league approved a proposal that made pass interference a reviewable play. The decision appeared to be a response to a controversial play in the 2018 season's NFC championship game.
Referees did not call what many argued was pass interference during the NFC title game between the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints. The Rams defeated the Saints in overtime and advanced to the Super Bowl.
NFL teams' ability to review pass interference was scrapped in 2020.
NFL coaches cursing at players in the locker room became a topic of conversation on Friday as legendary NFL executive Andrew Brandt remarked about it on social media.
Brandt challenged NFL coaches to forgo cursing in locker room speeches, especially when it came to the use of "f---ing."
"I challenge NFL head coaches to give post-game locker room speeches without using the word ‘F---ing’ every sentence. Not sure it can be done," Brandt wrote on X.
"In my first team meeting with the Bucs & the Colts I asked the players if any of them needed to be yelled at or cursed at to play their best?" Dungy wrote in response. "No one raised their hand in either meeting so that’s how I proceeded. We did OK so I know it can be done effectively."
He got his first head-coaching job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1996. He was with the Buccaneers for six seasons and was 54-42 in 96 games. He made four playoff appearances in six years.
He coached the Colts for seven seasons and guided Peyton Manning and himself to a Super Bowl championship during the 2006 season.
The 2008 season was Dungy’s final one in the NFL. He was 139-69 overall and 9-10 in the playoffs. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
Dunn said the odds were against him early on, and he proved he belongs.
"The era I played in, when I first got drafted, they thought I was just going to be a third-down back," Dunn told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. "I didn’t have the amount of carries that a lot of other guys had because I was always sharing carries with Mike Alstott in Tampa. When I came to Atlanta, it was T.J. Duckett.
"I had to prove myself being a 5-foot-8, 185-pound running back. You can say a lot of guys can do what I did. No, I had that chip on my shoulder that I was going to prove that I could do it. I believed that I could be one of the best if you give me the opportunity to do that. I think over the years, with what I’ve done, the impact that I brought to teams and those things. And I watch highlights, and I’m like, 'Oh my God, I didn’t know I could do that.’
"Do I think I’m deserving? I think I belong with one of the best. … Do I want to be in the Hall to say I was one of the best to ever play? Yeah, of course. We all play for that. We all play to be the best we can be."
Dunn said being inducted would send a message to undersized players trying to make a name for themselves.
"I want to be an example for kids who may not be as big as me that you can still do some things even when the odds are against you. I was always going against the grain. My mentality is still like that," he said.
Dunn had over 15,000 all-purpose yards, more than several Hall of Famers, like Jerome Bettis, Franco Harris and O.J. Simpson. He had just 105 fewer than Eric Dickerson.
Among eligible players, it's the third-most all-purpose yards by a full-time running back not in the Hall, behind Herschel Walker and Tiki Barber.
Carolina Panthers captain Sam Franklin Jr. had to be restrained from running toward the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' locker room following an overtime loss to his team's NFC South rival.
Franklin was specifically frustrated with Bucs linebacker Jose Ramirez, who he called out in a video that has now gone viral on social media.
"Hey, tell 33 imma see his a--," Franklin was heard yelling toward other Bucs players. "On my grave, boy!"
It’s unclear what exactly led Franklin to get this angry, as a Panthers staffer had to push him back toward their locker room.
But the animosity between these rivals was also seen in a separate video where veteran Bucs wide receiver Sterling Shepard was shouting expletives toward the Panthers’ locker room immediately after Franklin’s outburst.
All of this transpired after a thrilling end to this rivalry matchup, which needed extra time to find a winner. The Bucs would eventually kick a game-winning field goal for the 26-23 victory, but it appeared the Panthers were going to win it all when they got the ball following Chase McLaughlin’s missed 55-yarder earlier in overtime.
However, Chuba Hubbard, who has had a breakout season with Carolina and has been one of their driving forces on offense despite their 3-9 record, fumbled in Tampa Bay territory, and Yaya Diaby recovered the loose ball to give the Bucs another crack at winning the game.
Rachaad White made it so with a long run to get deep into Panthers’ territory, and McLaughlin didn’t miss his second chance, this time from 30 yards out, to win the game.
With the victory, the Bucs are now in a first-place tie for the NFC South lead with the Atlanta Falcons, who lost to the Los Angeles Chargers earlier Sunday.
We saw tons of skirmishes and altercations this weekend in the college football world during their rivalry week, but as the regular season enters the homestretch, the stakes of each game matter that much more.
Clearly, the heat of competition on the field spilled over into the tunnel for this fierce rivalry.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield filed a lawsuit against his own father for $12 million stemming from an apparent contract issue with his dad's company.
According to the lawsuit, the two parties reached a settlement in January in which Mayfield's father, James, would pay nearly all of it back, but Mayfield says he has not received any of it.
The first payment of $250,000 was due on Sept. 30, but Mayfield never got it, the suit says.
"Once Plaintiffs began to uncover Defendants' misconduct and sought answers to explain the taking of their assets, Defendants attempted to obscure the relevant information, avoided Plaintiffs' inquiries, and invented fictional explanations for their actions…" the suit read.
"It is now clear that Defendants had no intention of making Plaintiffs whole when they entered into the Settlement Agreement. To date, Canwood Capital has not repaid even one dollar under the Settlement Agreement, Defendants have failed to refinance their existing loan, and Defendants have not provided Plaintiffs with access to their books and records… In other words, Defendants have satisfied none of their obligations and have refused even to respond to Plaintiffs' outreaches about those breaches."
The Mayfields say they have "no choice" but to file this new lawsuit — nine pages long and files in U.S. District Court in the Austin Division of the Western District of Texas.
Fox News Digital reached out to James Mayfield's company for comment.
Mayfield is in his second season with the Buccaneers, succeeding on a one-year prove-it deal last year to earn himself a three-year, $100 million pact.
Mayfield's Bucs just walloped the lowly New York Giants, 30-7, when Mayfield admitted to making a "tribute" to Tommy DeVito with an Italian-hand gesture following a rushing touchdown.
The New York Giants released the sixth pick of the 2019 NFL Draft after he requested it; the Giants demoted Jones to QB4 this week.
Tommy DeVito got the nod, and he got a decent hand from the crowd, but the excitement was short-lived, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ran them out of their own building with a 30-7 win.
The Bucs opened the game by scoring 30 unanswered points. Sean Tucker, Bucky Irving, and Baker Mayfield all rushed for touchdowns, and the quarterback let everyone know about it.
After Mayfield's touchdown, he gave the crowd the infamous Italian-hand gesture. DeVito made it a staple of his last year, instantly becoming a fan-favorite as a local kid of Italian descent.
The fans gave the hand gesture as DeVito took the field for the first time on Sunday – ask and you shall receive.
Giants team owner John Mara said the parties mutually agreed to let Jones go.
"Daniel has been a great representative of our organization, first class in every way. His handling of this situation yesterday exemplifies just that. We are all disappointed in how things have worked out. We hold Daniel in high regard and have a great appreciation for him. We wish him nothing but the best in the future," Mara said in a statement.
Jones, less than two years after signing a four-year, $160 million deal, leaves the Giants with a 24-44-1 record in the regular season and 1-1 record in the playoffs.
The Giants are now 2-9 on the season as they continue the trek to the No. 1 pick in 2025.
Fox News' Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
Quarterback Daniel Jones' tumultuous tenure with the New York Giants came to an end this week. The franchise benched the 2019 first round draft pick, before ultimately granting Jones' request to be released.
The decision to part ways with Jones was described as mutual agreement, with Giants president and co-owner John Mara saying moving on from Jones "would be best for him and for the team." However, the move by the Giants was met with some criticism.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepherd became the latest former Giants' player to share his thoughts amid the fallout. Shepherd suggested there was room for improvement as it relates to his former team's culture.
"When it comes to the culture and everything like that, I’ve gotten a chance to see the way things are done on a different hand, but I think there could be maybe a little bit of work there," Shepard told the New York Post.
"It’s just different, in so many different ways and so many different levels. When it goes down to the small things, what you can do in the building as a player, the way you’re able to communicate and be hand-in-hand with the coaches, it’s just a lot of different things I kinda picked up on being there for so long. Even down to the training staff or the weight coaches and some of the different stuff that we do here, it’s a difference."
While Shephard seemed to point out some of the Giants' deficiencies, he also made it clear that he was attempting to point out the nuances in different NFL team's operations.
"I’m not saying the way that they do it is bad, because it’s not. It’s just different, and I’ve gotten to see the other side of it," Shepard added.
Shephard also shared his thoughts about his former coach, Brian Daboll. The receiver expressed his confidence in Daboll being able to "produce wins" as he directed some well wishes toward the Giants head coach.
"I don’t think you go from being the Coach of the Year two years ago to just being a guy that can’t get the job done," Shepard said. "I don’t believe that. I wish him nothing but the best. I feel like he can be a coach that can produce wins. He’s done it before, and he did it early on, so I don’t think you just go away from that."
Shephard's comments concerning the Giants come just days before he makes his return to MetLife Stadium. The Week 12 matchup between the Giants and Buccaneers will mark the first time Shephard takes the field at MetLife in an opposing NFL team's jersey.
Giants defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson, who has been with the team since 2022, said he expects Shepherd to bring "juice" and "energy" to Sunday's game in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
"Same thing you saw here — his juice, his energy, his passion to play, his dog mentality," Henderson said on Friday. "He’s coming at you all day. He’s just one of those grimy players — in a good way — that is just going to fight tooth and nail every play. That’s what you love about Shep.
"Our young guys have got to be ready for this guy to come and fight you every play. This guy will not take a play off. He’s going to be extra motivated because he’s back home for his first time. He’s going to want to come up here and have a good game and be productive. It’s going to be an all-day fight with him."
Shepard finished his stint with the Giants with more than 4,000 passing yards and 23 receiving touchdowns. Through his first nine games with the Bucs, Shepard has hauled in 16 passes for 166 yards.
The Giants have dropped five straight games entering Sunday's contest. Meanwhile, the Bucs are on a four-game losing streak.
No one seemed more surprised about the New York Giants' decision to start third-string quarterback Tommy DeVito this weekend over veteran backup Drew Lock than Drew Lock.
While addressing reporters inside the Giants' locker room Wednesday, Lock was asked specifically about the depth chart and why, if he was listed as the No. 2 quarterback up until this point, DeVito was named Sunday’s starter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"That's a question I might still have for myself," he responded.
"It was expressed to me that I was going to be the two, and, I don’t know, it's just an interesting situation. There’s not much I can really say about it besides, again, I’m going to be here for [DeVito], and we’re still communicating, still very good friends — believe it or not," he continued with a smile.
Daniel Jones was benched Monday in favor of fan favorite DeVito. Head coach Brian Daboll pointed to DeVito's 3-3 record last season as one of the reasons why.
"Got a lot of respect for all three of those guys," Daboll said. "After evaluating a bunch of things and looking at a lot of tape and being around Tommy last year, where he created a little bit of a spark for us, that's the reason why we're going with Tommy.
"Drew will be the backup. Continue to work with him. He's been nothing but a pro, and as was Daniel. It's never an easy conversation to have with the players. But felt like this was a necessary move for us and look forward to working with Tommy and getting him ready to go against Tampa."
Daboll said Wednesday the team will make a final decision by Friday on whether Jones will serve as the emergency third quarterback.
Jones has thrown for eight touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. He is 3-13 in his last 16 starts, and New York ranks last in the league in scoring, averaging 15.6 points per game.
