It was a game the Dallas Cowboys needed to win. After winning against the Eagles in a decent performance last week, Dallas had the opportunity to gain ground in the division with the Giants on bye. And against a 2-5 Cardinals team, winning seemed like an entirely doable task. For most of the game, it looked like Dallas was going to get it done, but they didn’t.
Dallas Cowboys suffer embarrassing 33-30 defeat against Arizona Cardinals- Mark Heaney, Inside The Star
It was a game that was a good summary of the season. Dallas looked good at times, but in a game the Cowboys should have won, the defense couldn’t
get the job done.
Unfortunately, that momentum didn’t last; after another Dallas punt, backup RB Tyler Allgeier broke free for a 63-yard touchdown run, cutting the lead to 17-10.
Offensively, they finally responded: a 37-yard connection between Dak Prescott and George Pickens, followed by a pass interference penalty, set them up at the goal line.
Game Recap: Dallas shocked in OT, 33-30- Staff, DallasCowboys.com
At this point, there is enough evidence to believe that the Cardinals simply have the Cowboys number. Even after losing eight of the last nine, this one simply should not have happened.
The Cowboys won the coin toss and elected to play defense first. And the unit quickly took care of business by forcing the Cardinals to go three-and-out. But Dallas could do no better and punted on their first try as well.
Given a second chance, Arizona did what they had to do, crossing into Cowboys territory and setting up Ryland to redeem himself. This time the kicker split the uprights from 42 yards out to give the Cardinals a shocking 33-30 win.
5 instant reactions to Cowboys’ soul-crushing overtime loss to Cardinals- Michel Haney, The Landry Hat
It’s tough not to feel as though the season may be coming to an early end. If you can’t beat the Arizona Cardinals at home as a 7.5-point favorite, there isn’t much hope for the tougher games remaining.
Defense is too sloppy to hold up against good teams
In the first half alone, the Cowboys were flagged for offsides three separate times, all because of Brissett hard counts. Daron Bland was called for defensive pass interference on a quick slant that might not have even been catchable for Michael Wilson.
Schottenheimer’s stubborn offensive strategy doomed Cowboys from start- Reid Hanson, Cowboys Wire
In a loss this embarrassing, fingers can be pointed in a lot of different directions. However, it’s tough not to start with the defense and head coach.
Dallas’ run-pass distribution fell 39-29 in the running game’s favor; the Cowboys were successful on only 32 percent of those runs, garnering an EPA/rush average of -0.26. These numbers spread out over the course of a season would rank Dallas 31st in both EPA and success rate, yet, for some unexplainable reason, Schottenheimer stuck with it.
3 things we learned about the Cowboys from the Cardinals game- Dyllan Rivers, Blogging The Boys
After this game, fans have a pretty good idea of who the 2026 Cowboys are. The offense is decent but wildly inconsistent; the defense has its moments but is largely useless, and the coaching is abysmal.
It’s possible for the Cowboys defense to start fast but can’t finish
Dallas forced a punt and had a goal line stand on the Cardinals first two drives, respectively. On the third drive, Shemar James snagged the first interception of his young career, creating a seven-point opportunity on the Cardinals five-yard line.
