Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Dallas Cowboys | Ron Jenkins/GettyImages
The Dallas Cowboys have won four of their last five games after they took down the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football.
This win holds a special place in Cowboys fans’ hearts. It was the most complete victory of the season and the team got contributions up and down the roster.
CeeDee Lamb took the form of a superhero playing through his shoulder injury, while DaRon Bland clinched the win with an incredible strip-fumble. However, it was Jourdan Lewis’ gravity-defying interception in the fourth quarter that set the stage for Bland’s heroics.
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Baker Mayfield launched a deep ball to the end zone intended for Jalen McMillan. Not only did McMillan have a step on Lewis, but he delayed Lewis’ momentum with an elbow to the cornerback’s facemask.
Despite everything working against him, Lewis recovered in time to make a play on the ball and wrestle it away from McMillan. It didn’t make sense in real time and this angle hammers home just how difficult it was.
New angle of Cowboys CB Jourdan Lewis’ interception proves it’s the play of the year in the NFL
One of the craziest INTs you’ll ever see 😳 pic.twitter.com/CXeNkXJzYd
— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2024
That is absolutely ridiculous.
Lewis did everything perfect on the play. Despite taking an elbow to the facemask, Lewis kept his bearings and didn’t turn his head until McMillan looked to make a play on the ball. So many defenders would commit defensive pass interference on this play out of sheer panic. But Lewis is a grizzled vet and has his masters in DBs coach Al Harris’ school of teaching.
The 29-year-old barely missed batting the pass out of the air, but he wedged his hands into McMillan’s breadbasket and wrestled the ball away while falling to the ground.
The timing of the INT adds to its aura. The Cowboys had punted on two straight possessions while holding a 26-17 lead. The Bucs offense was finding a groove. A touchdown would have made it a two-point game with more than six minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Granted, Dallas punted again after the turnover and Tampa Bay responded with a nine-play 87-yard TD drive to make things interesting.
Ultimately, Lewis’ interception burned a few minutes off the clock. Every second proved to be massive. The offense punted again, but the Bucs didn’t get the ball back until the 1:46 mark needing at least 50 yards with zero timeouts to kick a potential game-winning field goal.
Bland made sure that didn’t happen, but Lewis’ heroics ensured momentum remained in the Cowboys’ favor as the offense stalled out after an electric first half.
A free agent after the season, Lewis needs to be back in Dallas. His price tag undoubtedly went up after arguably the best game of his career, but the front office needs to do whatever it takes to re-sign him. He’s a consummate pro who is paramount to the team’s culture and success on the field.
