If a football fan only ever watched games between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals, they would think that Arizona was one of the NFL's best dynasties of the century. The Cardinals had dropped the Cowboys in eight of their last nine matchups despite being one of the least successful franchises in the league during that stretch.
Dallas failed to get the monkey off its back in Week 8. Brian Schottenheimer's squad was unable to defend its home turf, falling short in one of the most chaotic games in recent history by a score of 33-30 in overtime.
The Cowboys' defense threw away the lead in a game they absolutely had to win. Schottenheimer didn't help, making multiple obvious play-calling mistakes. Before we get into more in-depth analysis, here are some quick reactions to the victory.
5 immediate takeaways from Cowboys' shaky win over Cardinals
Luck wasn't enough to cover up a multitude of Cowboys mistakes
Early in the game, the Cowboys seemed determined to shoot themselves in the foot. A failed fourth-down attempt and multiple defensive penalties gave Arizona plenty of opportunities to take control. Instead, the ball bounced in the Cowboys' direction — literally.
This was far from a perfect game for Dallas. Mistake after mistake hamstrung the Cowboys on both sides of the ball, but luck swung their way just often enough to make those mistakes hurt a bit less.
Late in the first quarter, a Jacoby Brissett pass was tipped by a receiver and landed right in the arms of Shemar James. On the ensuing drive, Javonte Williams fumbled the ball into the end zone, but instead of ending in a turnover, it was recovered by James Mitchell for a touchdown.
Just like that, Dallas took an early lead despite multiple first-quarter mishaps. Don't worry, though, they gave that lead away in the fourth quarter.
Of course, the luckiest play of the day came when Chad Ryland missed the extra point that would have won the game for the Cardinals. Arizona tried to hand Dallas the game for the better part of four quarters. The Cowboys declined.
Goal line defense remains a confusing bright spot
It's no secret that the Cowboys have struggled on defense in almost every way. Christian Parker's unit is one of the worst in the NFL in almost every area — they're 30th in EPA per play, 29th in yards allowed per game, 27th in yards per carry allowed, and 27th in success rate. It has been a disaster.
Curiously, though, the defense seems to transform in the red zone, especially against the run. Inside the 20, Dallas entered Week 8 ranked in the top half of the league in both EPA per rush and rushing success rate.
The inexplicable dominance continued against Arizona. After giving the Cardinals favorable field position in the first quarter after a failed fourth-down attempt, the Cowboys came up with a goal-line stand that was capped off by Caleb Downs meeting Jeremiyah Love in the hole.
This bend-don't-break style is a dangerous way to live. Parker's unit paid the price in the second half.
Defense is too sloppy to hold up against good teams
In the first half alone, the Cowboys were flagged for offsides three separate times, all because of Brissett hard counts. Daron Bland was called for defensive pass interference on a quick slant that might not have even been catchable for Michael Wilson. Joey Porter Jr. was later called for a hold. Each penalty was an avoidable mental mistake.
Later, Rashan Gary committed an obvious roughing the passer penalty to give the Cardinals a first down in the red area.
Unfortunately, this wasn't a one-game lapse in focus. The Cowboys have been one of the most penalized teams in the NFL this season, ranking sixth in penalty yards. While each play can be pinned on a player, this is a coaching issue.
Mistakes allowed Arizona to get back into this game. Better offenses will turn those faults into blowouts.
Cowboys' pass rush is finally coming along
In Jerry Jones' quest to solidify his run defense, the Cowboys seemed to lose any threat of a pass rush. Coming into Week 8, they had just ten sacks, which ranked 27th, behind multiple teams that had already had their bye.
But it wasn't all negative against Arizona.
The defensive front flipped a switch against the Cardinals. Parker dialed up stunts and blitzes to give his defenders an advantage, but players were winning even in basic looks. The Cowboys sacked the Cardinals five times, which was their highest total of the season. Von Miller even got in on the action with a vintage spin move.
If the pass rush can keep this up against better units, it will help lift the defense to a more respectable level.
Run defense is still a glaring issue
That run defense that Jones has been trying to fix since trading Micah Parsons away? It's still broken.
The Cowboys held up against the run for most of the game, especially after Love suffered an injury, but the Cardinals steamrolled them late in the second half. Tyler Allgeier broke off a 63-yard touchdown run to pull the game within one score, then popped another explosive gain on the next drive.
The Cowboys missed multiple tackles and allowed a below-average offense to control the line of scrimmage late in the game. Without those explosive runs from Allgeier, the game would have been over much earlier.
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