Eliminated Dallas Cowboys hold off Tampa Bay Buccaneers - ESPN

ARLINGTON, Texas — Like they do hours before kickoff prior to every game, Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy met in the coach's office, although this time there were not many words.

«It was a down time,» Jones said. «We both looked like we had lost somebody.»

The Cowboys' playoff chances officially came to a close when the Washington Commanders beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the final seconds, some four hours before Dallas would kickoff against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

«Before the game was a real punch in the gut to say the least,» McCarthy said.

Despite knowing their playoff streak would end at three seasons, the Cowboys still managed to beat the Buccaneers, 26-24, to bring their record to 7-8 with their fourth victory in their last five outings.

Already without Pro Bowlers Dak Prescott, Zack Martin, DeMarcus Lawrence, Trevon Diggs because of injury, the Cowboys were down their leading tackler, linebacker Eric Kendricks, because of a calf injury that did not loosen up in a pregame warmup. In the game, they lost Pro Bowl wide receiver CeeDee Lamb for most of the second half after he landed on his injured right shoulder in the first half. They also lost receiver Jalen Tolbert to an open dislocation of his pinky finger at the end of the first half.

They were outgained by 93 yards, had 10 fewer first downs and had the ball for 5 minutes, 36 seconds less than the NFC South-leading Buccaneers.

Yet they still won.

Cooper Rush threw for 226 yards in the first half, a career high, with a touchdown pass to Tolbert. Ezekiel Elliott scored a 1-yard touchdown on his only carry of the game, giving him 72 in his Cowboys career.

Cornerback Jourdan Lewis, playing with a brace on his elbow,