ARLINGTON, Texas -- Ezekiel Elliott ran faster after he crossed the goal line than he did looking for a hole to get in the end zone from the 2-yard line.Dallas rookie sensation and NFL rushing leader had his eyes on an oversized Salvation Army red kettle in front of the stands. He jumped in, then disappeared when he crouched down.Elliott rushed for a career-high 159 yards and that short score and the Cowboys closed in on home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with a 26-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night.The Cowboys (12-2) bounced back after their franchise-record 11-game winning streak ended, hanging on after what looked to be a festive night following Elliotts antics turned tense when Jameis Winston rallied the Bucs from a 17-3 deficit to a 20-17 lead.One of the words we talked about right from the outset this week was `response, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. We did a good job early in the ballgame to get a lead and they started throwing the ball a lot early in the second half and they went ahead.And again, that word `response came back to the forefront.Making his debut in the Sunday night spotlight, Winston threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns but had four turnovers, including an interception that led to Dan Baileys 38-yard field goal that gave Dallas a 23-20 lead early in the fourth quarter.Tampa Bay (8-6) had its five-game winning streak snapped and fell a game behind Atlanta in the NFC South.Weve just got to keep winning, see how it plays out, Winston said. I know Im going to keep fighting. Im not worried about not fighting. We just got to keep winning games.Dallas stayed two games ahead of the New York Giants in the NFC East and needs a win without any help to clinch the home field for the postseason.Elliott had NFL career rushing leader and former Dallas star Emmitt Smith and plenty of his teammates laughing when he jumped into the kettle -- a staple in the end zones from Thanksgiving on every year with one of the Cowboys most visible charities.Garrett wasnt quite as amused, mostly because the move cost the Cowboys a 15-yard penalty on the kickoff.He was actually talking about that pregame, should he do it, will they fine him, said fellow rookie Dak Prescott, Elliotts quarterback. I didnt know he was actually going to go down and come back up slow. Got a good laugh out of it, him coming up real slowly. It was funny.Prescott bounced back from his worst game as a pro, going 32 of 36 for 279 yards a week after completing less than 50 percent of his passes in a 10-7 loss to the New York Giants.He also set a franchise record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback on a wide-open 2-yarder up the middle on a draw. His sixth rushing score of the year topped Don Merediths previous club record from 1966.Elliott had 76 of his yards with Dallas trying to control the clock on its final two possessions, but Winston still had a chance in the final 2 minutes after second-half scoring tosses to Adam Humphries and Cameron Brate gave the Bucs a brief lead.Tampa Bays last chance ended on downs at its 20, and the Bucs got just one first down on their final three possessions.COOLED-DOWN DEFENSEThe Bucs streak of five straight games of holding opponents to under 21 points -- their longest since 2009-10 -- ended, with Dallas gaining 449 yards, second-most this year against Tampa Bay. Elliott was the second 100-yard rusher of the season. A week after Drew Brees threw three interceptions in New Orleans loss to the Bucs, Prescott had his 11th game without one.PASSING TODallas tight end Jason Witten passed former teammate Terrell Owens for seventh place on the career receptions list, getting his 1,079th on a 6-yarder in the second quarter. The 34-year-old Witten, in his 14th season, had eight catches in the first half and 10 for the game, giving him 1,086.RARE MULTIPLE MISSESBailey missed two in a game for the first time since his rookie year in 2011. The first came up short from 56 yards , and the second was wide left from 52 in the final seconds of the first half. The misses against Arizona five years ago were from 50 and 49. Bailey is the NFLs career leader in accuracy among kickers with at least 100 attempts.INJURIESTampa Bay defensive lineman William Gholston and Dallas linebacker Justin Durant left the game with elbow injuries.UP NEXTBuccaneers: Finish regular season with two games against NFC South opponents, at New Orleans on Saturday and home against Carolina on Jan. 1.Cowboys: Wrap up regular-season home schedule against Detroit the day after Christmas, a Monday night, before visiting fading Philadelphia in finale.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Schuyler Dixon on Twitter at https://twitter.com/apschuylerJerome Brown Womens Jersey . But Bourque, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, wont be in the lineup when the Habs travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Wednesday. Randall Cunningham Eagles Jersey . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. http://www.eaglesrookiestore.com/Eagles-Wilbert-Montgomery-Jersey/ .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. Harold Carmichael Jersey . During the athletes parade, the 23-strong Ukrainian team was represented by a lone flagbearer in an apparent protest at the presence of Russian troops in Ukraines Crimean peninsula. Seth Joyner Jersey . Pettersen, winner of last years Evian Championships, had nine birdies and three bogeys, holding off a series of challengers led by Marion Ricordeau of France. The second-ranked Norwegian made her season debut after missing the LPGA Tours opening event last month in the Bahamas because of a shoulder injury.Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers said his team has plans in place to allow Paul Pierce to retire as a member of the Boston Celtics if Pierce elects to end his playing days this summer.During an appearance on The Vertical podcast, Rivers said he believes Pierce hasnt made up his mind about his future.If Paul decides to retire, then were going to make sure that Boston picks him up for one day and he retires a Celtic, because thats what he should retire as, Rivers said during the podcast released Thursday. So we have all that in place. We just dont know what hes going to do.Added Rivers: I think Pauls going back and forth on it, and I want to give him room. I think he deserves it. From a team perspective, you would love that he made his decision eight weeks ago. I think there are certain guys that you just have to give time to, and Pauls one of them.Pierce, 38, played for Boston for 15 seasons before spending one season apiece with the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards and Clippers. He was the NBA Finals MVP in 2008 and is the second-leading scorer in Celtics history, behind John Havlicek.During an appearance on ESPNs The Jump last month, Pierce admitted hes 50/50 on whether to continue playing.Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan already retired this offseason, and Pierce and Kevin Garnett remain undecided on their futures. On The Vertical podcast, Rivers said, It may go down as the greatest retirement summer in NBA history.Addressing unsubstantiated rumors that thhe Celtics and Clippers have talked about a deal involving Blake Griffin, Rivers smothered the suggestion.dddddddddddd[Celtics president of basketball operations] Danny [Ainge] and I have talked twice this summer. One [call] was about the British Open, and one was about another golf tournament. Thats about it, Rivers, who handles personnel decisions for the Clippers, told The Vertical podcast.Added Rivers: Its funny, you dont want to go out and send out a press release every time theres a rumor about Blake. We are hoping that Blake ends his career playing for the Clippers. Period. So when teams call, we say we have no interest. First of all, no teams calling right now because teams know we dont have any interest.It just tells you the different times. Things have changed. Everyone believes that theyre media now. ... Theres so many good, credible guys. And then theres some of the guys who are bloggers who have nothing to do with the sport.I helped my young son trace where this started -- the Blake rumor, the Boston rumor -- lets go there. ... My son traced it to, I think, it was a Boston radio talk show. And the guy didnt say that we had been talking, he said Blake would be one of the guys that the Celtics should go after. That started the next step, to the next step, to the next thing you know it blew up. And that stuff is tough. ' ' '