The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a bit of history on Thursday night.

When Alex Anzalone pulled down a Dak Prescott pass that bounced off Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson’s hands, to intercept the pass and bail Todd Bowles out for the most dumbfounding goal-line decision-making you’ll ever see, the veteran linebacker secured the Buccaneers’ 24-16 victory.

In doing so, the Buccaneers didn’t just notch their first victory of the season, but the Cowboys became the first team to lose a home game to an 0-4 team since 1975, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Cowboys, who haven’t won a Super Bowl in 30 years, became the first team to lose to an 0-4 team at home, in 51.

There are a couple of podcasts that I’m a weekly guest on, breaking down or previewing the biggest games and storylines across the league.

Without fail, I’ve been asked each week which of the winless teams still have “hope” in 2026, that they can salvage their season and mount an improbable run towards the postseason and maybe beyond.

Given that the 1992 San Diego Chargers are the only team in NFL history to overcome an 0-4 start to make the postseason, my answer had been none of them, the past couple of weeks.

Thursday night, undrafted rookie free agent quarterback Jalon Daniels, with a little help from running back Bucky Irving, offered up a modicum of hope for the Buccaneers, who still feel light-years away from the balanced Carolina Panthers and suddenly explosive Atlanta Falcons.

There’s a long way to go for the Buccaneers to continue bailing out Bowles, who quizzically decided to go for it on 4th and goal from inside the one-yard line rather than take a chip shot field goal to extend the lead to 27-10, forcing the Cowboys to cram two more scoring drives into the final 8:32.

But Daniels, making his second career start, was a model of efficiency, passing for 189 yards and a touchdown, making timely plays with his legs, and creating big play opportunities downfield almost as often as he scrambled defensive holding flags in the secondary or pass interference calls into existence.

When the Buccaneers needed a big play, it was Irving who delivered, rushing for 165 yards and a touchdown, including one of the most exciting 72-yard runs you’ll see, before being shot out of a cannon to gain 22 yards with 1:22 allowing Daniels to kneel out the win.

Irving, who also caught a touchdown from Daniels, though, may hold the key to the Buccaneers capitalizing on the fourth-easiest remaining schedule in the NFL and making some sort of headway towards making even more history in the form of an NFC Wild Card berth or running down the Panthers and Falcons in the NFC South.

For the Cowboys, it suddenly feels fair to question if Christian Parker is long for his role as defensive coordinator.

What, after allowing Daniels and the Buccaneers to produce 419 yards of total offense, while converting 7-of-13 third downs on the way to ball-controlling Prescott and the offense into irrelevance thanks to a dominating 39:21 time of possession just two weeks removed from a late-game meltdown in a come-from-ahead loss to the Ravens.

Major questions in Dallas, who has the mini-bye week to try to answer them, and a glimmer of optimism ignited for the Buccaneers.

Inside this mailbag, we’ll tackle your questions on some coaches on the hot seat, reasons for hope in Orchard Park, potential trade destinations for a wide receiver in desperate need of a change of scenery, and much more!

Let’s get after it …

There might not be a more inconsistent unit anywhere in football than the Buffalo Bills’ defense.

Just two weeks ago, C.J. Gardner-Johnson slammed the door on a promising Chargers drive when he intercepted Justin Herbert deep in the red zone, and the Bills sacked the woebegone quarterback twice, hitting him eight times and holding Los Angeles to just one touchdown in four trips inside the 20-yard line, looking fully capable of steadying the ship on days that Josh Allen Hero Ball can’t bail out the Bills.

Buffalo’s defense went from catalyst to catastrophe, when they had the opportunity to make a statement against the Patriots last Sunday and take a significant early lead in the AFC East.

Yet, the Bills somehow instead helped lift Drake Maye from the doldrums of a sub-60 percent completion percentage and six interceptions with just one touchdown first three weeks of the season into the second-coming of early-career Tom Brady as last season’s MVP runner-up passed for 269 yards with three touchdowns and a pick in a 29-26 Patriots win.

However, at least according to former NFL safety and host of the Pivot Podcast, Ryan Clark, there are some bright spots and reasons for optimism buried just under the surface of a Bills defense that sits ranked 26th in DVOA and is allowing 372.3 yards and 26.8 points per game.

“The secondary is young at cornerback,” Clark tells Between The Hashmarks. “And they haven’t seen Cole Bishop take the step forward that I thought he would early this season.

“You saw flashes as the year went on last season that made me feel he could turn into the guy.”

So far this season, Bishop has allowed 14 receptions (88th among safeties, according to Pro Football Focus), and quarterbacks are lighting him up to the tune of a 120.1 passer rating when targeting him.

The Bills are also going to need much more from Terrell Bernard, who is allowing a 102.1 passer rating, according to PFF, when quarterbacks throw his way.

Unfortunately for Buffalo, though, while the first month of the season was a bit of a gauntlet; at Houston, against the Lions, Chargers, and Patriots (oh my), that’s going to wind up looking like one of the easiest stretches on a schedule that’s the tenth-toughest remaining in the league.

If Bishop can hit his stride and become the backstop Buffalo desperately needs, as the player Clark saw on film last season, and who set career-highs with 85 total tackles, two sacks, and three interceptions last season, it would go a long way towards stabilizing the Bills’ entire defense.

“I’m a Bernard fan,” Clark says. “Even though he’s undersized. But, I do believe this is who they are on the back six-or-seven. I don’t see it improving immediately, unless Bishop finds some of last year’s playmaking form.”

It’s impossible to shake the feeling that the Detroit Lions have squandered their Super Bowl window.