ARLINGTON, Texas – With 3:58 left in the fourth quarter and the Cowboys trailing 24-16, Dallas' defense had a chance to get off the field and give their offense the ball back as the Buccaneers offense faced third and eight from their own 37.
Rookie UDFA QB Jalon Daniels gave Dallas more than that, with a far throw to Emeka Egbuka that Cowboys CB DaRon Bland jumped in front of. But Bland, who broke the NFL record for pick sixes in a season in 2023 with five, dropped a sure-fire interception that would've given Dallas a chance to tie the game.
"I saw the ball, and I got to execute, finish the play." Bland said of the play postgame.
It was one of many opportunities that Dallas missed in their Week 5 loss to the once winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and one that Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer and the team know Bland needs to make.
"We expect him to make those plays," Schottenheimer said. "He expects himself to make those plays. He's made those plays a bunch around here and probably surprised because I have seen him make those plays so much."
According to NextGenStats, Bland was targeted five times on 31 coverage snaps. He allowed three receptions for 91 yards, the most from Dallas' secondary on Thursday night.
The Dallas Cowboys come up short 24-16 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
From missed tackles leading to an explosive 72 yard run from Bucky Irving on the first play of the second half, to Bland losing his footing on a 3rd and 21 play that allowed Egbuka to pick up a first down, there were plenty of difficult moments for Dallas' defense as a whole.
"It's definitely frustrating," Bland said. "Had an 0-4 team, gave them a win today…"
"The DB room, not our best. Still got a lot to grow, more room to get better at."
Even after a frustrating showing, Bland says that he and his teammates are prepared to handle the adversity and find a way to respond, as is first-time defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
"We handle it pretty good," Bland said. "We don't have a lot of guys getting down on themselves. Everybody's trying to bring each other together and trying to keep going, have that next play mentality…"
"We know CP, he's a guy that's going to come in tomorrow, check out the X's and O's and see where we can get better at. That's always his thing."
Parker, whose background has come with a lot of work with defensive backs, is a positive for Bland being a cornerback. That said, he recognized that Parker has a lot more on his plate than just working with the defensive backs.
"It's good, but it's kind of hard being a DC," Bland said. "You've got to watch over everybody and get all the corrections, you can't just go in one position group. But him as a DB coach and a DC, that's great. You have somebody that's in the same mindset as you and knowing what it takes to be a corner."
The Cowboys now get a mini-bye week after playing three games in 11 days. In that time span, there's a lot of work to be done for Bland and the defense.
"Put in the extra work because you have the extra couple days, and then just looking back and seeing what you've got to work on. It's first half of the season still." Bland said.
The Cowboys return to action on Sunday, October 18 on the road in Green Bay against the Packers.
