A recipe of awful defensive coverage and an off-game on the offensive end simply isn't going to cut it. The Dallas Cowboys turned the ball over three times against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night, and Dak Prescott got sacked five times. Of course, to no surprise, the Cowboys' defense didn't excite fans much either.
The Cardinals, who aren't necessarily a bad team, seem to have found something with Jacoby Brissett as their backup quarterback, and he may not be a backup much longer. Coming into Monday Night Football, Arizona was the only team in the league that didn't have an offensive drive beyond 74 yards, and of course, the Cowboys had to be the ones to break that, twice.
The Cardinals were the only team in the league without a TD drive of 74 or more yards. They’ve had two on consecutive series against Dallas. https://t.co/GB6fXd128v
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdNFL) November 4, 2025
Cowboys helped the Cardinals snap an embarrassing offensive drought
Initially, Cowboys fans thought that Panthers' running back Rico Dowdle's career game of 239 all-scrimmage yards was as bad as it could get. Giving up back-to-back 74-yard drives when the Cards hadn't done so all season long until Week 9 is pretty embarrassing, too. A team with a backup quarterback that doesn't have a ton of weapons looked as if Peyton Manning was under center.
It was already a bad sign when Marvin Harrison Jr. broke the ankles of DaRon Bland, and it set the tone for a horrible evening for Bland. Brissett targeted Bland all night long, and give the Cardinals' coaching staff credit. If it's not broke, you don't fix it, and they continued to pick on bLand.
The Cowboys' defense has been used to being the first team to give up something big against an offense, or giving a player the best game of their season, like Russell Wilson, Caleb Williams, Rico Dowdle, and Bo Nix. It's no longer a surprise, and it also shows how Dallas has problems far beyond Matt Eberflus.
The personnel is absolutely terrible. It's becoming clearer by the day that Jerry Jones will need a complete overhaul of the defense compared to what he has now. The trades for Logan Wilson and Quinnen Williams will help, but there's still a lot of work that needs to be done.
Believe it or not, there was a glimpse of hope in the game. In the fourth quarter, the defense gave the offense a shot to make a furious rally. Donovan Ezeiruaku is continuing to make waves, earning another sack on the season. Kenny Clark and Reddy Steward also got to the quarterback, but the damage was already done by the third quarter.
While the offense may not have 'carried' much, the defense was out there giving up back-to-back 74-yard drives and allowing third-down conversions without any resistance. Hopefully, Wilson and Williams help stop the bleeding, even if ever so slightly.