Sooners took over Sunday Night Football

When NBC promoted the Sunday Night Football matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys, it was the face of two former Sooners used to get the attention of football fans around the country.

Even before the game kicked off, it was Baker Mayfield representing his Buccaneers and CeeDee Lamb as the face of the Cowboys with AT&T Stadium in the background, where the two joined forces to win a Big 12 title in 2017.

This time, Lamb's Cowboys, officially out of playoff contention, won 26-24. With the loss, Mayfield and the Buccaneers are tied atop the NFC South standings with the Atlanta Falcons at 8-7.

Lamb, as usual, was the best player on the field for the Cowboys, leading his team with seven catches for 105 yards. Nearly half of those yards came from one 52-yard reception.

Although his efforts came up short, Mayfield led the Buccaneers to 10 unanswered points in the second half to get the Bucs within three, including a 12-yard TD pass to rookie Ryan Miller with 2:36 left in the game.

Mayfield finished the game 31-for-43 for 303 passing yards and a pair of TDs with one interception. He also had 42 rushing yards on three attempts thanks to an 18-yard scamper. And he did everything in his power to finish off a comeback.

Another former Sooner, Sterling Shepard, caught a 14-yard pass from Mayfield. Shepard caught attention before the game even got going, though, because of his intros that featured his family during this holiday season.

Still fighting for a playoff spot and divisional title, the Buccaneers have two games left against NFC South opponents. Next, the Bucs host the 4-11 Carolina Panthers at noon CT on Sunday.

The Cowboys will play Jalen Hurts and the Eagles at 3:25 p.m. CT Sunday. Hurts was one of three quarterbacks who three passes to Lamb while at Oklahoma, including Mayfield and Kyler Murray.