The Buccaneers were the better team in the first half, but their lack of success in the red zone -- and Micah Parsons -- has kept the game within reach for the Cowboys.
The Bucs have 219 yards to 94 for the Cowboys and have yet to punt. They reached the Dallas 25, 20, 8, 4 and 29 on their five first-half drives. They have four field goals and a missed field goal from Ryan Succop.
The Bucs lead 12-3 at halftime on Succop’s field goals of 44, 38, 29 and 47.
Parsons’ two sacks came on third-down plays in the red zone, one of which resulted in an elbow injury for left tackle Donovan Smith, and prompted Tom Brady to get in the face of his linemen.
Tampa Bay’s scoring drives have covered 54, 49, 49, 12 and 61 yards.
Brady is 11-of-16 for 160 yards, with Chris Godwin catching three passes for 35 yards in his return from an ACL tear, Julio Jones catching a 48-yard pass and Mike Evans hauling in two passes for 39 yards.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is 6-of-16 for 53 yards and an interception as Antoine Winfield Jr. picked him in the second quarter. CeeDee Lamb has only one reception for 16 yards, and Ezekiel Elliott has six carries for 32 yards.
