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In a thrilling way to kick off the NFL season, the Bucs and Cowboys went back-and-forth in a high-scoring affair. This one went down to the last second, as theBucs won 31-29. The game had a dramatic ending with Ryan Succop’s game-winning 36-yard field goal, but the contest was quite sloppy as well. The Bucs made numerous mistakes, turning the ball over four times. The victory was fun, but there’s a lot to clean up before next Sunday’s game.
Here’s who was most disappointing from Week 1:
CB Jamel Dean
Dean couldn’t step up after Sean Murphy-Bunting left the game with an elbow injury. He was torched plenty of times when in single coverage, particularly by Michael Gallup. One of the times that Dean was responsible for guarding Amari Cooper, he was beaten in the end zone for a Dallas touchdown.
It wasn’t just that he was losing in coverage either. Dean was penalized three times in the first half as well. One was for a pass interference, and the other two occurred on the same play when Dean was flagged for interference and a facemask. In the game’s most crucial moments late in the fourth quarter, Dallas picked on Dean again, who couldn’t corral CeeDee Lamb on a short catch. The Cowboys receiver sprinted down the field to get in range to kick the go-ahead field goal.
Dean finished the night with nine tackles and a pass breakup.
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