SAD NEWS! COWBOYS TO LOSE ANOTHER STAR PLAYER

During practice on Thursday, the Dallas Cowboys’ two-time Pro Bowl cornerback suffered an ACL tear. On Sunday, though, they appeared to be an entirely different defense.

On a day filled with plenty of upsets, the Cowboys’ 28-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals was the most unexpected. Dallas lost badly as 11.5-point favorites because their defense fell short against a Josh Dobbs-led Cardinals club, and their offense wasted numerous opportunities in the red zone as Dallas attempted to rally.

I apologize for your loss if you had scoffed at friends who thought they would be moving on after the Cowboys won and had the Jacksonville Jaguars (24.2% of Week 3 picks) or Baltimore Ravens (3.44%) in their survival pool early on Sunday.

The game started innocuously enough. The Cardinals took their first possession downfield for a field goal. That happens. As it turned out, that was the first sign that the Cowboys were in trouble.

Against a defense that looked like it might be the best in the NFL through two games, the Cardinals scored on all five of their first-half possessions. They had three field goals, two touchdowns and led 21-10. Dallas’ defense, which had allowed just 10 points through two games and looked incredible doing it, suddenly couldn’t stop the Cardinals. Diggs being out was certainly a factor, but it shouldn’t have been that big of a problem against Arizona.

After two games, the Cowboys appeared to be the best football team in the league. Though they were still 0-2 and among the least talented teams in football, the Cardinals were more competitive than anticipated. Furthermore, the Cowboys were never in the lead.

Dallas went for it on fourth-and-3 from Arizona’s 4-yard line late in the third quarter, giving them an opportunity to cut into the advantage and possibly tie it. Rolling to his right, Dak Prescott felt pressure and released an incomplete pass. The final score was 21–13. That marked a sea change.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys had another opportunity to go inside the 10-yard line. On second-and-goal, an odd-looking option play yielded nothing, and on third-and-goal, Prescott fired an incomplete pass to CeeDee Lamb. Dallas made a field goal in the end.

It was a frustrating game for the Cowboys and their fans. They came in expected to roll the Cardinals. They had their chances to take the lead. And they couldn’t pull even with Arizona, who closed as a double-digit underdog.