Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer high-fives quarterback Dak Prescott (4) after a touchdown from running back Javonte Williams during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, in Philadelphia.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
FRISCO — The noise from the Cowboys‘ locker room late Monday night meant something: This team won a ballgame.
With the lyrics of Philadelphia musician Meek Mill seeping through cinder block walls and bouncing off locker room stalls, it was the Cowboys telling the Eagles their 38-21 victory salvaged their season.
Now here comes the real part of the NFL: Do it again.
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This Cowboys team hasn’t won consecutive games in 2026. If anything, beating the Eagles on Monday night ended a two-game losing streak and kept this group 1½ games behind the New York Giants in the NFC East.
A closer look reveals that in nearly two seasons coach Brian Schottenheimer has led his team to just one multiple-game win streak.
During an 11-day stretch last November, the Cowboys won three games. This came after the passing of beloved defensive end Marshawn Kneeland and the team acquiring defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
Dallas knocked off Las Vegas, Philadelphia then Kansas City on Thanksgiving Day for a three-game win streak. It pushed the Cowboys’ record to 6-5-1, the only time Schottenheimer has presided over a team with an above-.500 mark.
With a chance to get back into the playoff race, the Cowboys were defeated 44-30 on a Thursday night in Detroit. Schottenheimer’s team would lose three of four games to end the 2025 season.
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Now moving forward, the Cowboys have basically spun their wheels like last season. Win here. Lose there. Win here. Lose there. Lose again.
But the win over the Eagles, sparked by an offensive attack that set season highs in points (38), total yards (416) and rushing yards (204), is giving this team hope that it can forge a win streak.
But why hasn’t it done so this year?
“Inconsistency probably,” Schottenheimer said Monday afternoon. “It’s a business where you have to be consistent with your execution, with your performance. And I think lacking that at times. And another good week, another opponent coming in there with a lot of challenges that they’re going to present, but it’s more about us and the lack of consistency.”
Arizona comes to AT&T Stadium on Sunday having dominated Dallas. It doesn’t matter the coach, quarterback or type of defense. Arizona has won the last four games between the franchises.
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Dallas Cowboys safety Markquese Bell (14) reacts after a touchdown reception by Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (85) during the second half of an NFL football game at AT&T Stadium, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, in Arlington.
Elías Valverde II/Staff Photographer
Related: 5 things to know about the Arizona Cardinals ahead of Week 8 matchup wtih Dallas Cowboys
The last time Arizona lost in Dallas was in 2005. Drew Bledsoe was the starting quarterback for the Cowboys.
Sometimes teams have mojo over you.
Recently, former Arizona quarterback and Allen native Kyler Murray continued his dominance in AT&T Stadium (9-0) along with former coach Jonathan Gannon’s defensive scheme.
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Last season, quarterback Jacoby Brissett, despite being sacked five times, completed 21 of 31 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns in a victory.
Brissett is back with a 2-5 Cardinals team coming off a loss to Denver.
For the Cowboys, they can’t worry about what the Cardinals are going through. This group has its share of issues, mainly finding consistent play.
Following wins this season, the Cowboys encountered game management issues late in a loss to Baltimore, and a combination of offensive and defensive struggles led to another loss to a winless Tampa Bay squad.
The Cowboys must find their running game again and hope the defense keeps improving. Those two areas are also part of why the Cowboys struggle to pull wins together.
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A victory Sunday pushes the Cowboys back to .500, a place they’ve already been at twice this season and five times in 2025.
But a two-game win streak gives the Cowboys an opportunity to reach above .500, and maybe then you can seek something bigger.
“It’s Arizona, right?” quarterback Dak Prescott said. “We’ve just got to make sure we have a great week of preparations to make sure that translates into a big win. From there you get two in a row, you start stacking.”
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