ARLINGTON, Texas — For yet another week, the Dallas Cowboys are forced to stare in the mirror to search for answers after suffering another unfathomable loss in 2026.
Their previous home game at AT&T Stadium saw them fall to the previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers and, on Sunday, with a chance to get their first two-game win streak of the year, they collapsed against the Arizona Cardinals — their 17-3 halftime lead devolving into a 33-30 overtime loss.
Well, everybody should show up because that's what you're supposed to do," said owner, president and general manager Jerry Jones. "You show up, you evaluate, and you step forward. This obviously creates quite a challenge. Everybody knows that when you've been hit on the nose or you've been knocked down, that those are difficult times to overcome.
"This will be very difficult for each individual player, coaches, me — everybody involved."
Jones was visibly frustrated in his usual post-game interview, and spread the blame around to every single person involved after falling to 3-5 on the season.
"That [loss] really is glaring in a negative way — where we were and how we ended up losing that ball game. We had a great chance right at the end to win the game, and had everybody out there that can win games for us. Of course, we didn't get it done, so it was a couple of games within the game, really, and that was also telling.
"We just did not play well enough, at all, to win that ball game. Not well enough at all after you had to lead the way we did and had the opportunities we had to win that ball game. So it's an indictment of the whole show."
It was truly a tale of two halves for the defense.
They were playing with their helmets on fire through the first two quarters as they dictated the entire game, from physicality to sacks to takeaways to forcing a punt, a turnover on downs at their own goal line and then holding the Cardinals to a field goal on consecutive drives. But, in the second half, they allowed Tyler Allgeier to take over on the ground and after forcing Jacoby Brissett to the bench for poor play, allowing Gardner Minshew had his way.
Jones went on to say that he is not considering any coaching changes at this time though, as the tough conversations continue for a Dallas team that is falling exceptionally short of the expectations attached to them entering this season.
"We're not gonna get into anything — that's not, in my mind, at this time," he said of any potential coaching changes before rerouting back to the team as a whole. "The main thing that's in my mind is we tee it up for those kinds of spots to win it. We really do want those situations. We call for it. Bring it on.
"And we got it and didn't get it [done]."
