ARLINGTON, Texas -- Cowboys defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford was carted off the field on the second play of Sunday's 27-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with an apparent neck injury and was taken to the hospital.

Crawford had his face mask removed with his head stabilized on a board after he took the shoulder of Bucs center Ryan Jensen to his neck while rushing the passer. He was moving his arms and legs before he was attended to by the Cowboys' medical staff.

Cowboys defensive end Tyrone Crawford is carted off the field during the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Buccaneers. Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports

The 29-year-old lifted both arms as he was driven off the field to receive more medical attention and gave a brief thumbs-up.

Teammates surrounded Crawford, a defensive captain, as he was attended to, as did head coach Jason Garrett.

He was replaced by Randy Gregory. Taco Charlton, the Cowboys' first-round pick in 2017, is active for the first time in three games after being a healthy scratch.

Garrett said Crawford was heading home after going to the hospital for a neck injury on the play and that the scans and MRI came back negative.

"Obviously a very scary thing," Garrett said. "One of the most well-respected guys I've been around and so our thoughts are with him, but the news has been good initially."

Crawford was having his best season with 33 tackles, 5.5 sacks, one tackle for loss, 25 quarterback pressures, four pass deflections and a forced fumble.