Their first two-game losing streak of the season.
The NFL’s erstwhile No. 1 offense and No. 2 scoring offense scores just one touchdown, and that didn’t occur until 10:51 was left in the fourth quarter. And for the first time in 70 games, having to go back to the 2021 season, the Cowboys failed to score a touchdown in a first half.
Bad enough the Cowboys have been struggling mightily on defense, having already given up 37 points, 31, 40, 30 and 44 points, three of those losses and one an overtime tie. But now the offense is mired in quicksand, the No. 1 group scored just 17 points last week against Denver and now only 10 against the Cardinals.
“Very disappointing, very frustrating,” Dak Prescott said, “Know you’re better than that.”
Then Dak got down to the nitty-gritty, as hard as it must have been to say, “They kicked our ass.”
That the now 3-5 Cardinals did. On offense, on defense, and if not for one lapse on special teams when the Cowboys’ Sam Williams blocked a punt, Marshawn Kneeland recovering the backward rolling ball in the end zone for Dallas’ only touchdown in three quarters, the Cowboys really got beat on special teams, too. Poor blocking on Cowboys’ kickoff returns rendered KaVontae Turpin normal, and they allowed the Cardinals to average 25.5 yards on their kickoff returns.
Once again, in consecutive games, this one, too, is hard to swallow. Why, Dak was sacked a season-high five times. He was hit another nine times, with no doubt suffering double-digit pressures. Forced to run four more times to avoid sacks. The protection got so bad, with Terence Steele struggling to deal with Josh Sweat (two sacks, two tackles for loss, five QB hits, one pass defensed), the Cowboys removed him from the game for Nate Thomas, knowing Steele nearly did not play, suffering from migraine headaches before the game.
Now, sure doesn’t help once again the Cowboys were playing without their starting safeties, Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson, and even the rookie safety who started against Denver Alijah Clark missed the game with a rib injury. Plus, they must play another two games without starting cornerback Trevon Diggs on IR, if he even plays again this season. The inexperience in the secondary is glaring.