'Haunted!' Dallas Cowboys To Slip in NFC East Race After Embarrassment?

The Dallas Cowboys may not be in first place in the NFC East after Week 3 following their debacle in the desert. ... with the Philadelphia Eagles ready to kick off.

One loss isn't the end of the world. The Dallas Cowboys weren't going to go 17-0 in 2023. But in a division that could be decided by one game, Dallas laying an egg in a 28-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3 burns a little bit extra, because this should have been one of the easier wins on the Cowboys' schedule in 2023. 

It should be noted that despite being projected by just about everyone to be the worst team in the NFL, the Cardinals have been very frisky though the first three weeks of the season. The Jonathan Gannon-coached Cardinals hung tough in a Week 1 road loss to the Washington Commanders, falling 20-16. They ended up blowing the game in a disastrous second half, but the Cardinals were beating the New York Giants 21-0 at halftime in Week 2. Perhaps Arizona isn't as bad as expected. 

But the Cowboys, unquestionably, were the most impressive team in the NFC East through the first two weeks. And yet, if the Philadelphia Eagles -- who have had some growing pains with new offensive coordinator Brian Johnson -- defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football, they'll leave Week 3 in first place in what appears likely to be one of the most competitive divisions in the sport. 

Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys lost to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3. (USA Today)

It's unclear what the aforementioned Commanders will be in 2023 after a brutal 37-3 Week 3 loss to the Buffalo Bills. But Washington was 2-0 entering the week, and the Cowboys missed a chance to gain ground on them by also losing Sunday. 

The same point can be made for the NFC as a whole. The best way for the Cowboys to get back to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since the mid-1990s would be to ease their path of resistance by earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC and getting a first-round bye. Dallas lost ground to the 3-0 San Francisco 49ers in Week 3, and may very well do so to the Eagles as well. 

None of this is to say either the 49ers or Eagles will go undefeated this season -- they won't. But the Cowboys still have two matchups with the Eagles, one with the 49ers and tilts against the Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions on their slate. In a division -- and conference -- where you may only be able to lose three or four games if you want to win, entering the loss column against the Cardinals might come back to haunt the Cowboys.