Pic 6 | 2025
Pic 6: AZvsDAL
The Cowboys lost 44-24 to the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon, with self-inflicted wounds and big plays being allowed being among the factors that slowed Dallas down.
Through the Air
Facing backup QB Jacoby Brissett as starter Kyler Murray nursed a foot injury, the Cowboys' secondary struggled defending Arizona's passing game as the Cardinals finished with 221 yards through the air.
It was a tough day on the outside for DaRon Bland, who was primarily tasked with covering Marvin Harrison Jr. In the first half alone, Harrison Jr. tied his career high for receptions with six and would go on to finish with a career best seven receptions for 96 yards and touchdown.
Brissett was efficient overall throughout the course of night, completing 21 of his 31 passing attempts for 261 yards and two touchdowns en route the Arizona's first win since Week 2, snapping a five game losing streak.
The Third Phase
Special teams has been a big difference maker for the Cowboys over the last few years, and it was one of the lone bright spots on Monday night in Arlington.
The highlight came in the second quarter, when Sam Williams perfectly shot his gap in punt duty and record his second career blocked punt, with the other coming in 2023 against the Los Angeles Rams.
After a generous bounce and a helpful halt in Dallas' favor in the middle of the end zone and Marshawn Kneeland was able to hop on top of it for a touchdown, which swung some momentum in the Cowboys' direction at the time, albeit not for long.
The Rook and the Vet
Rookie DE Donovan Ezeiruaku and his veteran counterpart Jadeveon Clowney, who started opposite one another on Monday night, were some of the lone bright spots for the Cowboys in Monday's loss.
The two combined for two sacks, seven QB pressures and five run tackles on the night, constantly finding their way into the backfield in big moments although it didn't end up being enough for Dallas in the long run.
As a unit, the Cowboys defensive front had one of their better performances of the season with five sacks and 21 QB pressures, but a majority of it came in the second half.
Not Their Night
Coming into the game scoring north of 40 points per game at AT&T Stadium, the Cowboys' offense struggled to find consistency for the second straight week.
From a numbers standpoint, Dallas didn't' finish that far behind Arizona in yardage, finishing with 333 compared to the Cardinals' 340. The biggest disparity came in the turnover category, with the Cowboys turning the ball over three times.
Dak Prescott finished the day completing 24 of his 29 passing attempts for 250 yards, a touchdown and an interception late in the game on a heave downfield trying to get any sort of chance for Dallas down the stretch.
Prescott was also sacked five times and hit plenty more than head coach Brian Schottenheimer would have liked to have seen, especially with the Cowboys' offensive line back and fully healthy for the first time since Week 2. After limping into the locker room, Prescott said his ankle got rolled up on before the end of the first half, and isn't concerned that the injury will bother him as he gets the bye week to rest on it and was able to play the rest of the game.
The Next 24
The NFL trade deadline is quickly approaching, with 3 P.M. central time tomorrow being the cutoff for the 2025 season. Earlier on Monday, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said on Sirius XM that he had completed a trade and had a few others in the works.
Following the 27-17 loss to the Cardinals on Monday night, Jones clarified that "there is no trade right now" officially, but that "there is one I can do" on the table and he's "leaning towards doing it."
So, it sounds like the Cowboys will have options and potentially a good bit of action tomorrow as they look to right the ship following the upcoming bye week before going back on the road to face the Las Vegas Raiders.
Money Downs
Third and fourth downs are considered the money downs in football, because they're the most important and are crucial in keeping drives alive offensively, or getting off the field defensively.
Dallas' offense struggled on both, finishing five of 12 on third down and zero of three on fourth down. The fourth down woes began on the opening drive, when Brian Schottenheimer elected to be aggressive and look for a touchdown on fourth and goal from the four.
Arizona wasn't all that much better, going seven of 13 on third down, but most of those conversions game on third and long to keep drives alive and ultimately put points on the board.
