Dan Orlovsky Rips Cowboys’ Defense After Buccaneers Loss With Damning Five-Game Assessment

October 9, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

The Dallas Cowboys suffered a shocking loss on Thursday Night Football, sending shock waves through the league. Perhaps the highlight of the night involves rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels, who led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the shocking road win with 19 of 25 for 189 yards.

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Daniels filled in for Bucs starting QB Baker Mayfield, who is expected to be sidelined at least one more game with an injury to his throwing hand.

What Dan Orlovsky Said About the Cowboys’ Defense Following Their Shocking Buccaneers’ Loss

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The Cowboys got many observers placing them as potential contenders in the season over the past few weeks. However, the Buccaneers’ victory in Texas will no doubt tilt the power rankings curators on their future perspectives on the NFC East squad. That said, amidst all the criticism surrounding the Cowboys following the game, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky thinks the Cowboys have had it coming, based on their previous five outings.

“[The Dallas Cowboys are] a defensive unit that, through five games, is a worse unit than last year.”

“[The Dallas Cowboys are] a defensive unit that, through five games, is a worse unit than last year.”@danorlovsky7 on the Cowboys' loss to the Buccaneerspic.twitter.com/RRJ9zi3z7F
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) October 9, 2026

Bucky Irving and Daniels starred as the previously winless Buccaneers secured the shock road win on Thursday. Irving ran for a career-high 165 yards, including a 72-yard run that set up the Buccaneers’ go-ahead touchdown, while Irving himself twice found the end zone. Daniels tossed one of those touchdowns to Irving in the first half while directing a turnover-free offense amid several Dallas miscues.

Prescott led a 99-yard drive and threw a 13-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter before his second interception off a tipped pass helped the Bucs clinch the win in the final two minutes. Prescott was 24 of 42 for 316 yards in his first two-interception game of the season, his first picks since Week 1 against the New York Giants

The Cowboys (2-3) continued their topsy-turvy start to the season during their Week 5 encounter. This time, they fielded an offense that was as sloppy as the defense has been in both of their years under head coach Brian Schottenheimer.

Irving’s long run on the first play of the second half was followed by receiver Emeka Egbuka’s 14-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep. After that, Prescott threw his first interception, and the Dallas defense left Tez Johnson wide open on a 64-yard grab that forced Irving’s second scoring plunge from up near the goal line.

So unsatisfactory was the Cowboys’ outing that a stadium worker reportedly passed an “embarrassing” comment at Dak Prescott as he walked past after the game. While the 33-year-old didn’t particularly use the same words as the worker, he agreed the team had no reason to lose the game against a winless Buccaneers at home. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones also reportedly expressed his dissatisfaction with the game.

Daniels and the Buccaneers might have had a party to throw following their first win of the season. But for the Cowboys, all attention goes towards their next game against the Green Bay Packers on October 19.

Dan Orlovsky Rips Cowboys’ Defense After Buccaneers Loss With Damning Five-Game Assessment

What Dan Orlovsky Said About the Cowboys’ Defense Following Their Shocking Buccaneers’ Loss

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