The Dallas Cowboys’ script for most of their games this season has had the same plot: Their offense would score, and they’d wait to see if the defense could get just a few stops to pull out a win.
On Monday night we saw what happens if the Cowboys’ offense goes missing in action for most of a game. It wasn’t pretty.
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The Cowboys had a miserable 27-17 loss Monday night to the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals were just 2-5 coming in but dominated Dallas on both sides of the ball. Jacoby Brissett got another start for the Cardinals with Kyler Murray still not ready to return from a foot injury. Brissett, like most quarterbacks Dallas has faced this season, had little trouble leading long drives.
The surprise was that the Cardinals, who ranked 21st in yards allowed coming into Monday night, did a fine job limiting Dak Prescott and his offense. The Cowboys didn’t score a touchdown on offense until the fourth quarter, after Arizona had taken a 17-point lead. Dallas moved the ball fairly well but had some crucial turnovers and couldn’t make enough big plays to keep up with Arizona.
The rough home loss doesn’t give much hope that the Cowboys, who fell to 3-5-1, are going to become playoff contenders in the second half of the season.
Cowboys’ offense struggles to score
The way the first possession of the game ended for the Cowboys was a sign of things to come.
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Dallas had a nice drive downfield and got to Arizona’s 4-yard line. But a third-down pass was dropped, and head coach Brian Schottenheimer decided to pass on the field-goal attempt. On fourth down, Prescott was sacked, giving the Cowboys nothing to show for a long drive. It would be a while before the offense scored.
Arizona had Brissett start, and that was probably bad news for the Cowboys. Brissett has boosted the Cardinals’ passing game, and the Cowboys can’t stop the pass. Marvin Harrison Jr. scored the first touchdown of the game, when he had such a sharp route that tied up cornerback DaRon Bland so badly that he fell over, like an NBA defender against a nasty crossover dribble.
The Cardinals moving the ball well was not a surprise. The Cowboys’ offense being held out of the end zone was. The Cowboys scored a touchdown in the first half, but it came on a blocked punt that was recovered in the end zone. That’s the only thing that kept the Cowboys in the game. The 17-7 halftime deficit wasn’t ideal, but manageable.
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But the Cardinals continued to look like the superior team into the second half.
Dak Prescott is sacked by Josh Sweat on Monday, one of five times he went down in a 10-point defeat to the visiting Cardinals. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
(Stacy Revere via Getty Images)Cardinals open up big lead
The Cardinals started to pull away in the third quarter. Trey McBride scored a touchdown to boost the Cardinals’ lead to 24-7. The Cowboys’ offense still couldn’t find the end zone. Dallas went for it on fourth-and-4 early in the fourth quarter, trailing 27-10, hoping to get a touchdown to make the game competitive again. Prescott’s pass to CeeDee Lamb was batted down.
The Cowboys finally got on the board early in the fourth quarter on a Ryan Flournoy touchdown catch. They trailed by just 10 points with plenty of time to go and then got a quick stop to force a punt. Dallas needed the defense to make some plays, which didn’t happen.
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The offense came up short. The Cowboys were in field-goal position when Javonte Williams had the ball ripped out by rookie linebacker Cody Simon. Arizona recovered the fumble to practically put the game away. It was Dallas’ second turnover in Cardinals territory, after Jake Ferguson fumbled in Arizona territory in the first half.
The Cowboys have talked about being active before Tuesday’s trade deadline, but Monday night might affect their decisions. Their defense has been bad and might be more than one addition away from being respectable. Their offense didn’t put up many points Monday but should be fine going forward. However, being 3-5-1 in a competitive NFC is a tough hole to dig out of.
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The Cowboys will be one of the more interesting teams to watch as the trade deadline approaches. After Monday night, maybe the prudent move would be to turn from buyers to sellers.
Live coverage is over33 updatesMon, November 3, 2025 at 8:17 PM EST
Jason Owens
Jason Owens
The rise of the Dallas Cowboys after a 44-22 blowout of the Commanders in Week 7 seems like forever ago.
The Cowboys have since been blown out by the Broncos and have now lost to the Cardinals in a poor showing at home. Their vaunted offense didn’t show up tonight as it produced just 10 points, committed three turnovers and turned the ball over twice more on downs.
They’re now 3-5-1 with their playoff hopes fading by the week.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, improve to 3-5 with a strong showing anchored by a ball-hawking defense and strong efforts from backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett (261 yards, 2 TDS, 0 turnovers) and Marvin Harrison Jr. (7 catches, 96 yards, 1 TD)
Jason Owens
That’ll do it. Dak Prescott threw an interception to Denzel Burke, and the Cardinals can kneel down on a surprising 27-17 win.
A strong effort from the Cardinals on both sides of the ball tonight as they played a third straight game without injured starting quarterback Kyler Murray.
Jason Owens
The Cowboys came up with a fourth-down stop inside their own territory as Arizona attempted to run out the game clock.
They now have the ball and need to score 10 or more points with two minutes left in regulation.
Jason Owens
That’s probably it for the Cowboys.
Dallas recovered from a taunting penalty on George Pickens to advance pass midfield. But Javonte Williams fumbled inside the Arizona 40, and the Cardinals recovered. Credit rookie linebacker Cody Simon with the strip.
Arizona has the ball back with a 27-17 lead and 4:46 remaining.
Jason Owens
For some reason the Cardinals snapped the ball on their punt with 13 seconds left on the play clock.
The game now is about running clock for Arizona. That made no sense. We’ll see if the unforced error comes back to bite them.
Jason Owens
The Cowboys sacked Jacoby Brissett twice on this drive and forced a Cardinals punt with 7:11 remaining.
It wasn’t complete disaster for the Cardinals, who picked up a first down after a sack on the drive’s opening play. They did manage to run 3:40 off the clock.
But the Cowboys have momentum and a chance to cut their deficit to one possession with 7:11 left in regulation.
Jason Owens
Dak Prescott capped a 78-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Flournoy. The drive took just 2:01 off the clock — exactly what Dallas needed.
The score cuts Arizona’s lead to 27-17 with 10:51 remaining. The pressure’s now back on the Cardinals to respond — or at the least to not give the ball back without running substantial time off the clock.
Jason Owens
The Cowboys are still in this one. They forced a Cardinals punt after a three-and-out and take over possession with 12:52 left in regulation and facing a 27-10 deficit.
The Dallas defense did its job. It’s up to the offense from here to get the Cowboys back in the game after producing just three points through three quarters.
Jason Owens
This one might be over.
Instead of kicking a 38-yard field goal to cut their deficit to two possessions, the Cowboys went for it on fourth-and-3 at the Arizona 21. They failed.
Dak Prescott targeted CeeDee Lamb for the first down, but cornerback Denzel Burke was there to break up the pass for a turnover on downs.
That’s the second time in two Cowboys tries that the Cardinals have stopped them on fourth down in scoring range. Arizona takes over with a 27-10 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Jason Owens
Arizona answered with a field goal to extend its lead back to three possessions at 27-10 with 2:31 remaining in the third quarter.
Dallas’ offense needs to wake up fast if it’s going to make this a game.
Jason Owens
The Cowboys’ offense is finally on the board, but not in the manner they’d hoped.
Dallas drove 68 yards to set up first-and-goal at the 5. But Josh Sweat sacked Dak Prescott on second down to stunt the scoring effort, and the Cowboys settled for a Brandon Aubrey field goal on fourth-and-goal at the 9.
Arizona leads 24-10 as we approach the halfway point of the third quarter.
Jason Owens
That didn’t take long.
The Cardinals needed just three plays to drive 74 yards on the first possession of the second half. Michael Wilson took a Jacoby Brissett pass for a 50-yard gain to the Dallas 24 on the first play of the half.
Two plays later, Brissett found Trey McBride in the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown and a 24-7 Cardinals lead. The Cowboys are still looking for their first offensive points and are in danger of getting run out of their own building.
Jason Owens
Arizona closed the first half with a touchdown in the final minute and now has a chance to add to its 17-7 lead with the ball first to start the third quarter
Jason Owens
This is unexpected.
The Arizona offense is rolling through a porous Dallas defense, which isn’t so surprising. But the vaunted Dallas offense has managed nothing against the Cardinals, and Arizona goes into halftime with a 17-7 lead.
The Cardinals have three drives deep into Cowboys territory to account for their 17 points, and Marvin Harrision Jr. is having a breakout game with six catches for 80 yards and a touchdown.
The lone Cowboys touchdown arrived courtesy of a blocked punt and recovery in the end one. And Brandon Aubrey missed a 68-yard field goal just before halftime.
Will the real Cowboys offense show up in the second half or do the Cardinals have their number?
Jason Owens
The Arizona offense looks like a force against the Dallas defense.
The Cardinals responded to the Cowboys’ touchdown on special teams with an 11-play, 74-yard drive. It ended with a one-yard sneak from quarterback Jacoby Brissett for a 17-7 Cardinals lead.
With 49 seconds remaining in the half, the Cowboys offense is still looking for its first score.
Jason Owens
The Dallas offense can’t score? No problem. Sam Williams just blocked a Cardinals punt, and the ball rolled into the end zone.
Defensive end Marshawn Kneeland jumped on it in the end zone for a Cowboys touchdown, and the Arizona lead has been cut to 10-7. A huge momentum swing after the Cardinals asserted early control.
Jason Owens
Dallas was on its way to set up Brandon Aubrey for a field goal. But tight end Jake Ferguson fumbled on the back end of a third-and-17 catch, and the Cardinals recovered.
Dallas’ much-touted offense has exactly zero points with 6:30 remaining in the first half. And the Cardinals have a chance to add on to their 10-0 lead.
Jason Owens
Halfway through his second season, this could be the Marvin Harrison Jr. breakout game.
In two Cardinals possessions, Harrison has five catches for 64 yards on seven targets. Jacoby Brissett is making a concerted effort to get him the ball.
Harrison’s fifth catch was good for a 4-yard touchdown to give Arizona a 10-0 lead. A surprising score in Dallas early in the second quarter.
Harrison juked Cowboys cornerback Daron Bland to the turf on his touchdown catch to get wide open in the end zone.
Jason Owens
Cardinals linebacker Mack Wilson had a sure interception in his hands after Dak Prescott got hit on a pass and threw a floater up for grabs.
But Wilson let the easy catch slip through his hands. Fortunately for Wilson, that incomplete pass was on third down, and the Cowboys punted.
The Cardinals could have started their possession inside the Dallas 40. But they’ll still start with excellent field position at the Dallas 47 after a 40-yard punt and 4-yard return.
Jason Owens
Lot of chatter about that Cardinals field goal that looked to some to be wide right.
It was good. The refs got it right. The ball was headed wide, but it was clear on replay that it passed over the inside of the right upright before veering further to the right.