Rookie QB Jaylon Daniels Makes History in Tampa Bay Win

On Thursday night, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got their first win of the season in a shocking 24-16 win over the Dallas Cowboys in the Big D, where they were huge underdogs. History was made as undrafted rookie QB Jalon Daniels became the first undrafted signal caller since the common draft era began in 1967 to lead a winless team to victory.

Rookie QB Jaylon Daniels Makes History with Mayfield Out 

Daniels was thrust into the starting job when Baker Mayfield went out with a thumb injury. Daniels went undrafted after a great career at Kansas and began the season as the No. 4 quarterback on the Tampa depth chart. He had a solid camp and preseason and won the backup job over Jake Browning, who has 10 NFL starts.

Daniels Was Better in Dallas 

There were a few reasons the Bucs were a big underdog on Thursday night in Dallas. One was that Daniels would get the start. When Mayfield went down against the Minnesota Vikings, Daniels came in, attempted three passes with no completions, and had an interception. Then, last week, in his first career start, he passed for only 148 yards with two more picks and a touchdown. In the win over America’s Team on Thursday night, Daniels was much more efficient, passing for 189 yards and one touchdown, with no interceptions, and adding 23 yards on the ground.

Thank You, Irving and the Defense 

While Daniels played well in the win over the Cowboys, he owes Bucky Irving and the Tampa Bay defense credit for helping the undrafted kid make history. Irving rushed for a career-high 165 yards and caught Daniels’ lone TD pass. The defense gave up over 300 passing yards but held Dallas to only 50 yards, and their interception of Dak Prescott with less than two minutes left in the game iced the 'Bucs' first win.

More Starts Ahead 

According to ESPN, Mayfield will miss 3-6 weeks, giving Daniels more action. The win in Dallas kept the Bucs in the NFC South race; despite being 1-4, no team in the division is over .500 as of Friday. However, Tampa's next few games are far from a walk in the park: they face the Steelers and Bears, plus three division games, two against the Panthers and one against the resurgent Falcons.