The Dallas Cowboys held off a late push by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their Week 16 matchup, coming out on top 26-24 at home inside AT&T Stadium. This victory was extra meaningful for Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot, who is closing in on Cowboys' history and put a bad drought to bed.

“Ezekiel Elliott with the 1-yard TD run ups Dallas' lead to 20-7 with 1:45 left in the half. It's Elliott's third rushing TD of the season and 71st of his career. Only Tony Dorsett (72) and Emmitt Smith (153) have had more in Cowboys' history,” Todd Archer of ESPN reported.

In addition to bringing him within a touchdown from overtaking Dorsett for the No. 2 spot on the Cowboys' all-time rushing touchdowns list, Elliot's one-yard scoring run ended his AT&T Stadium touchdown drought that extended back to the 2022 season.

Elliot had not scored at home since December 2022, according to StatMuse. That touchdown came in the first quarter of Dallas' 40-34 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Christmas Eve.

The Cowboys have not had a 2024 campaign to write home about as they sit at 7-8, third place in the NFC East, only beating out the 2-13 New York Giants, and eliminated from playoff contention. Despite this, Elliot's Week 16 success could provide him with motivation to finish the season strong.

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Despite their 2024 season not having the outcome expected of them, the Cowboys do not appear interested in going out quietly.

After a 3-7 start to the season, Dallas has won four of its last five contests, including two wins over playoff contenders Washington Commanders and the Buccaneers.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has often been under scrutiny throughout his tenure at the helm of the franchise, but he does not appear to have lost the locker room, as his team is still putting its best foot forward each week.

The Cowboys' final two games of the season put them up against the Eagles and Commanders. Winning both games would give Dallas a 9-8 record to end the season as well as shake things up in the NFC standings as the regular season comes to an end.