Cowboys run over by lowly Cardinals, suffer embarrassing setback

Eric Williams

NFC West Writer

Considered by many observers as perhaps the best team in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys were double-digit favorites on the road against the tanking Arizona Cardinals.

But Arizona didn’t get the memo.

The Cardinals had led in the fourth quarter in the team’s first two games of the season but failed to hold on for the win. On Sunday, however, Arizona withstood a late rally by America’s Team for a 28-16 victory at State Farm Stadium, Jonathan Gannon’s first win as an NFL head coach.

Gannon got a Gatorade bath from his players on the sideline afterward. The Cowboys dropped to 2-1 with the loss, while the Cardinals improved to 1-2 on the season. Cardinals quarterback Joshua Dobbs also picked up his first win as an NFL starter, completing 17 of 21 passes for 189 yards and a score.

Arizona linebacker Kyzir White sealed the victory with 3:06 remaining by intercepting Dak Prescott in the end zone on a ball intended for Brandin Cooks. It was Prescott’s first interception of the season.

Prescott finished 25-of-40 for 249 yards, with a touchdown and that one interception. He was sacked twice and posted a 78.0 passer rating.

The Cardinals won the game by running up and down the field on the Cowboys’ vaunted defense, considered one of the best in the league. Entering Sunday’s contest against the Cardinals, the Cowboys had led the league with seven takeaways and 10 sacks. However, Dallas was playing without talented cornerback Trevon Diggs for the first time this season. Diggs suffered a season-ending ACL knee injury in practice this week.

Arizona ran roughshod over the Dallas defense, finishing with 222 rushing yards. The Cardinals were led by James Conner‘s 98 rushing yards on 14 carries. The Cowboys allowed 172 rushing yards total through the first two games of the season.

“I think it was clear from the start that they were going to test the middle of our run defense,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said. “So that’s something we’ve got to be better at. And we know that’s the challenge.”

Arizona Cardinals upset Dallas Cowboys

Offensively, the Cowboys struggled in the red zone, finishing with just six points on five red-zone trips. Dallas also played sloppy football on both sides of the ball, totaling 13 accepted penalties for 107 yards.

Dallas did play without three starting offensive linemen due to injury in left tackle Tyron Smith (knee), right guard Zack Martin (ankle) and center Tyler Biadasz (hamstring), which affected the offense’s ability to consistently move the football.

“They fought their ass off,” Prescott said about the linemen playing in place of the starters. “I thought they did a good job. They gave me enough time, allowed us to move the ball up and down the field. We didn’t convert in the red zone. That’s the story of this game, period.”

For a team looking to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1995 season, the Cowboys are now looking up in the NFC at the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, teams Dallas likely will have to surpass to make a deep postseason run and reach the big game.

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Following a home game against the Patriots, the Cowboys will face the 49ers in a Sunday night contest on Oct. 8. Dallas has been eliminated in the postseason by San Francisco the past two seasons.

“We’re going to fully expect to win every week,” McCarthy said. “Obviously, we’re disappointed that we’re leaving here without a win. This is part of the journey. It’s part of the humbling component of the National Football League.

“So just like everything, every experience gives you an opportunity to grow. We need to grow from this experience.”

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.