3 Cowboys nightmares that were unearthed in ugly loss vs Cardinals

The Dallas Cowboys falling victim to an obvious trap game? Where have we seen this movie before?

The Cowboys fell to the Arizona Cardinals 28-16 on Sunday. Though several teammates promised to take their game up a level in the wake of Trevon Diggs' season-ending injury, their energy depicted a team that was still in mourning ... or grossly overlooked the Cardinals.

In doing so, the Cowboys opened the floodgates to the media.

More importantly, they will almost certainly regret this loss later on. The schedule is an absolute bear this season and Sunday could prove costly in the NFC East and NFC standings when all is said and done.

As far as the now is concerned, though, three familiar nightmarish Cowboys narratives returned against the Cardinals that must be addressed before next week.

3. Offensive line injuries

What was fans' top concern heading into the season? Offensive line depth. More specifically, potential injuries to the offensive line. With Tyron Smith, Zack Martin and Tyler Biadasz all sidelined, the offense never looked in-sync.

The injuries aren't to blame for the offense's red zone deficiencies, but it's only Week 3 and the health of the O-line line is already a major storyline.

Remember the 2020 season? Dallas' hope of winning were wrecked the moment Dak Prescott was lost for the year, but Tyron Smith played just two games, Zack Martin missed a career-high six weeks, then-right tackle La'el Collins didn't play a single game, Cam Erving sat out six games, and a rookie Biadasz missed four weeks.

The Cowboys likely played it smart by resting Smith, Martin and Biadasz, who aren't dealing with long-term injuries. The fact they're banged up, though, and that Tyler Smith already overcame a hamstring injury, is a cause for concern.