Turnovers are Dallas Cowboys’ undoing in 38-10 loss to Arizona Cardinals
When it comes to the Dallas Cowboys, do you want the good news first or the bad news first?
Let’s start with the good.
The Cowboys remain in first place in the awful NFC East with a mark of 2-4.
And that’s pretty much it for the good news.
The bad news is that the Cowboys are simply not a good football team, a fact that was never more evident than in the 38-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals Monday night before a new COVID-19 record crowd of 25,174 at AT&T Stadium.
Former TCU star quarterback Andy Dalton started in place of Dak Prescott, who’s out for the season with a fractured ankle. Prescott had started 69 straight games dating back to his rookie season in 2016.
But the turnovers woes that have plagued the Cowboys all season proved to be the undoing again with Dalton under center. And unlike Prescott, Dalton didn’t have the comeback magic in his arm to make the game close.
The Cowboys were down 21-0 in the second quarter and 31-3 in the third quarter thanks to four turnovers, including fumbles by running back Ezekiel Elliott on back-to-back drives in the first and second quarters and interceptions thrown by Dalton in the third and fourth quarters.
The Cardinals turned the first three turnovers into touchdowns and settled for a field goal on the fourth, another season-long trend, as 13 of the team’s 15 turnovers have resulted in points by the other team, including 11 touchdowns.
It was the fifth straight game that the Cowboys have trailed by at least 14 points.
The Cowboys could do nothing against the run and the quick feet of Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, the most decorated high school football player in the history of Texas football, who kept his record spotless at AT&T Stadium.
Murray is now 7-0 at the venue, including three state championships at Allen High School and a Big 12 title during a Heisman Trophy-winning campaign Oklahoma.
He rushed for 74 yards against the Cowboys and a touchdown. He also passed for 188 yards and two scores, a six-yarder and a 80-yard to former Texas A&M standout Christian Kirk.
The Cowboys will try to regroup with two division games on the road, Sunday at the Washington Football Team (1-5) and then Nov. 1 at the Philadelphia Eagles (1-4-1).
Good news, perhaps.
This story was originally published October 19, 2020 at 10:23 PM.
