Cowboys Country

‘We Were on Fire!’ Dallas Cowboys Top 10 Takeaways in Upset

With their defense surprisingly gouged and the offense ultimately doomed by a Dak Prescott interception, the Dallas Cowboys were upset by the Arizona Cardinals, 28-16.

Richie Whitt

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Much like their former star Deion Sanders was on Saturday, the previously undefeated - and overly confident? - Dallas Cowboys were served a heaping dose of humble pie out west on Sunday in a shocking, 28-16 upset loss to the previously winless Arizona Cardinals.

The Cowboys were 11-point favorites, making this their largest outright upset loss since 2006.

10. DUMBFOUNDING DAK - Good news: After throwing 17 in 14 starts last year, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has only one interception this season. Bad news: It was a horrible decision, compounded by a terrible throw that capped this loss. Prescott was looking at receiver Brandin Cooks in the end zone with Dallas down 12 in the final three minutes, but his pass could have been picked off by any of three Cardinals' defenders. Kazir White did the honors, sealing the NFL's biggest upset of the season.

9. DUDS IN THE DESERT - Evidenced by its 1-7 recent record against the Cardinals, we shouldn't be totally shocked that Dallas face-planted in the desert. Over the years Arizona has been a strangely unsuccessful venue for the Cowboys. From 2000-11 they lost five games via chaotic climaxes:

2000: 32-31 - Arizona wins on TD pass with 1:54 remaining.

2002: 9-6 - Cardinals win on FG in OT.

2008: 30-24 - Game-winning TD in OT scores on return of a blocked punt.

2010: 27-26 - Cowboys lose on FG on game's final play.

2011: 19-13 - Cardinals walk it off with 52-yard screen pass for TD in OT.

8. THE DEFENSE ... RESTS? - Prescott will get his share of the blame for this one, but the majority sits squarely on a defense whose perfect start through two weeks was prompting "Doomsday" nicknames and comparisons to the 1985 Chicago Bears. 

The Cowboys entered the game allowing only 10 points while producing 10 sacks and seven takeaways. But the Cardinals were not impressed, nor intimidated. 

"It just wasn't championship football," said Micah Parsons. "The outcome was definitely shocking. It definitely hurts. ... The last two weeks we were on fire and today we came out and we got lit. ... We can't play down to (our opponent), and that's what I felt like we did today."

The Cards had two 20-plus-yard runs on the opening series. They scored on their first five possessions. They rushed for 180 yards in the first half, most by any team this season. And when it needed a stop, the Cowboys' defense instead completely lost receiver Michael Wilson for a 69-yard completion that set up Hollywood Brown's touchdown catch for the 28-16 lead. While allowing the 28 points, Dallas forced no turnovers and sacked backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs only twice. Does Trevon Diggs really make this much of a difference?

7. OOPS - With pedestrian journeyman Dobbs starting in place of notorious Cowboys-killer Kyler Murray, some of us figured this would be a Dallas domination. But from Dobbs' early 44-yard scramble that set up a field goal and the Cowboys' first deficit of the season, the Cardinals were more prepared to play.

6. BAD LUCK CHARM? - Long-time Cowboys fan and 2024 Presidential hopeful Chris Christie watched the game alongside Jerry Jones in the owner's suite. Jones, of course, is a noted Republican donor. But - being that Christie has been openly critical of Donald Trump - something tells us that party's leading man will be none too happy with Jerry's choice in guests. And after this debacle, not sure Christie will be invited back.

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5. DAK-TASTIC? - Prescott played his 100th career game. Despite the sub-par day that included the game-clinching pick, he remains the only quarterback in NFL history with 150+ touchdown passes and 25+ rushing touchdowns in his first 100.

4. COACH OF THE Y ... AWN? - After last week's domination of the New York Jets, Jones essentially christened Mike McCarthy as the leading candidate for Coach of the Year and told him to "take a bow." 

After Sunday? McCarthy and the cocky Cowboys should instead take a good look in the mirror. 

Said McCarthy of Sunday's mistake-filled loss: "I gotta do a better job. That starts with me.''

3. PRECISE PRESEASON PREDICTION - Remember back in the preseason finale when everyone thought it was so cute and clever that Dak had a headset and called the offensive plays for lame-duck quarterback Will Grier? Well, some of us - ahem - were alarmed that Prescott and the Cowboys were tipping their hand at their preferred plays. 

Three times inside the 10-yard line in that game Prescott called for a "waggle," with the quarterback faking a hand-off left and then rolling right. What I wrote then: "Bad news: The New York Giants - and every Cowboys' opponent - now know Prescott's preferred play in the Red Zone." What happened Sunday: On Dallas' first possession of the second half at Arizona's 8-yard line, sure enough, Prescott ran essentially the same exact same play. It resulted in tight coverage and an incompletion that forced only a field goal. 

Said Fox analyst Daryl "Moose" Johnston, "Great preparation and recognition during the week and on that play by the Cardinals." Mmm-hmm.

2. FAMILIAR FLAGS - A sure sign the Cowboys weren't in the right headspace, they were penalized 13 times for 107 yards. None of the flags were bigger than Devin Harper's 61-yard holding penalty that wiped out a nifty punt return by KaVontae Turpin in the third quarter. 

Instead of first down at Arizona's 23, the Cowboys were forced back to their own 16. Ouch.

1. CRASH LANDING - Sure, they were without injured starting offensive linemen Tyron Smith, Zack Martin and Tyler Biadasz. And, yes, playing without Diggs in the secondary hurts. But this was an 0-2 Cardinals team playing with Dobbs at quarterback and coming off a home loss in which it blew a 28-7 lead to the New York Giants. 

This was the Cowboys' first test of adversity this season, and they failed miserably.

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Richie Whitt
RICHIE WHITT

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