Dallas Gets Embarrassed by the Arizona Cardinals: What's Next?
The Dallas Cowboys just fell to the Arizona Cardinals in embarrassing fashion by a score of 38-10. Andy Dalton and the offense looked completely out of sorts, and Ezekiel Elliott fumbled twice. The defense allowed 30 points for the fifth consecutive game. Mike McCarthy kicked a field goal while down 28-3. Zuerlein missed it. All […]
The Dallas Cowboys just fell to the Arizona Cardinals in embarrassing fashion by a score of 38-10.
Andy Dalton and the offense looked completely out of sorts, and Ezekiel Elliott fumbled twice. The defense allowed 30 points for the fifth consecutive game. Mike McCarthy kicked a field goal while down 28-3. Zuerlein missed it.
All in all, it was an absolute blowout. More importantly, how did it happen?
Defensively, they manufactured almost zero pressure against a below-average Arizona offensive line. Additionally, Leighton Vander Esch did not look himself coming off his injury, and the safety play was not pretty at all. This all combined to allow the Cardinals to have three 60+ yard plays. One of those plays came from Kenyan Drake, who had looked pretty lackluster through five games of the season. Dallas’ defense certainly boosted his confidence. Not only that, but Kyler Murray seemed to be struggling out of the gates. Yet, his team still mustered 21 first-half points!
A singular bright spot for the defense would be the play of Trevon Diggs for much of the game. He had some very good reps against DeAndre Hopkins and was not afraid of the big lights of Monday Night Football.
So, where does the team even go from here?
Washington, quite literally – but internally, It’s gonna have to start at the top. Mike McCarthy will have to rally the troops because the NFC East is still absolutely winnable for Dallas, possibly even at 6-7 wins.
All in all, the team learned the hard way tonight that the offense must be built on quick throws and the running game. After two early fumbles, the running game couldn’t be trusted. Plus, it forced Andy Dalton to attempt more chunk plays, only digging a deeper hole. Cowboys fans should take note of how harshly different the team looked against an early deficit with Dalton instead of Dak Prescott. The Jones family should do the same as well.
Furthermore, the extremely talented receiving core looked out of sync and pretty frustrated at times. Both CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup had noticeable frustrations with where the ball went on a couple of plays. Gallup also had a mind-boggling drop tonight on what would have been an easy touchdown. Overall, their unhappiness, considering the offense’s sudden stagger, doesn’t bode well for the Cowboys or their fans.
As if it couldn’t get worse for the team’s offense, Zach Martin went down with a concussion early in the game. His timetable is to be determined. This is the fourth Dallas offensive lineman starter to go down with an injury. This is not just a recipe for disaster, but more so, it seems that the entire kitchen has begun to burn down for the Cowboys on both sides of the ball. Dallas needs to control the time of possession and the line of scrimmage, and that is not happening on either side of the ball.
Looking forward, there is still hope for Dallas to win the division. Even after this defeat, they somehow remain in first place in the division. Yes, you read that correctly.
The Cowboys' remaining schedule is not too much of a bear either; although, keep in mind that zero has come easy for this team this season. It consists of mostly NFC East showdowns. Those games will basically prove which team gets crowned as the “best of the worst”.
Their next two games on the road versus the WFT and the Philadelphia Eagles may officially resuscitate or bury America’s team.
As for when they have to play the Steelers and Ravens later in the year, Dallas fans may want to go grocery shopping, mow the lawn, or anything else besides be in front of their televisions.
Featured image via USA Today Sports
