The Cowboys had everything going for them after two games, outscoring the Giants and Jets 70-10. They forgot to pack their A game on Sunday.
Whether they “ate the cheese” and underestimated the Cardinals or just had an off day, the Cowboys didn’t play like a contender in Arizona.
A double-digit favorite, the Cowboys lost by double digits, falling 28-16. Dallas dropped to 2-1, while Jonathan Gannon got his first win as the Cardinals’ head coach and Joshua Dobbs his first as a starting quarterback.
The Cardinals, who gave Gannon a Gatorade bath as time expired, led from start to finish.
The Cowboys had three chances on their final three possessions to make it a game, but they turned it over on downs at the Arizona 4, settled for a field goal from the Arizona 8 and Dak Prescott threw an interception in the end zone from the Arizona 6. It was Prescott’s first interception of the season after he led the NFL with 15 last season.
The Cowboys played without three starting offensive linemen (LT Tyron Smith, C Tyler Biadasz and Zack Martin) and an All-Pro cornerback (Trevon Diggs). Regardless, the Cardinals were better Sunday, even without starting quarterback Kyler Murray.
Arizona ran for 182 yards in the first half and 222 for the game. James Conner ran for 98 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries; Dobbs had 55 rushing yards on six carries; and Rondale Moore had 54 rushing yards and a touchdown on three carries.
The Cowboys had only two sacks, including one by Micah Parsons, as Dobbs completed 17 of 21 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown. He had a 2-yard scoring toss to Hollywood Brown with 7:22 remaining, the final score of the game that gave the Cardinals a two-score lead.
Matt Prater kicked field goals of 39, 43 and 62 yards in the first half.
Prescott was 25-of-40 for 249 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and Tony Pollard ran for 122 yards on 23 carries.
