No one gave the Arizona Cardinals a chance to beat the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. But on a Sunday of wacky upset wins, the Cardinals overcame a stat line that was heavily in favor of the Cowboys and beat the No. 1 defense in the league 28-16.
Rondale Moore had a 45-yard touchdown run, Josh Dobbs had a touchdown pass, the team rushed for more than 200 yards and the defense held the Cowboys to 1-for-5 in the red zone.
Buy Cardinals TicketsAfter blowing a 20-0 halftime lead in Week 2, getting outscored 31-8 in the second half, they took an eight-point lead and stretched it to 12 for their first win of the season.
Below details how it all went down.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Cardinals 3, Cowboys 0
Run Dobbs Run 🏃♂️@josh_dobbs1 x #BirdGang pic.twitter.com/GeDsDcACGy
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 24, 2023
Josh Dobbs has a 44-yard run in the first drive of the game but they stall in field-goal range.
Matt Prater makes a 39-yard field goal to give the Cardinals the lead.
Cardinals 9, Cowboys 0
come for the @JamesConner_ touchdown.
stay for the @ParisJohnsonJr block. pic.twitter.com/xqyndI9rq6
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 24, 2023
The Cardinals forced a three-and-out on Dallas’ first possession. Then a 22-yard defensive pass interference play and a 20-yard James Conner run set up Conner’s five-yard touchdown run.
The Cardinals went for two points after Dallas was penalized for being offsides on the extra point but the run failed.
Cardinals 9, Cowboys 3
The Cardinals sacked Dak Prescott twice but both times the Cowboys picked up first downs on the next play.
However, linebacker Krys Barnes knocked down a third-down pass and the Cowboys had to settle for a 49-yard field goal.
RONDALE MOORE 45-YARD TD RUN! Cardinals 15, Cowboys 3
he might literally be the fastest kid alive…@moore_rondale x #BirdGang pic.twitter.com/pN3A6PmYuc
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 24, 2023
The Cardinals kept looking good offensively and surpassed the point total the Cowboys had allowed in either of their first two games.
Receiver Rondale Moore, lining up at running back, took a handoff and outran the entire Dallas defense for a 45-yard touchdown run.
The two-point conversion failed, so the Cardinals led 15-3 with 12:31 to go in the first half.
Cardinals 15, Cowboys 10
The Cowboys responded with a 13-play, 75-yard drive. They methodically moved down the field and Dak Prescott threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to running back Rico Dowdle.
Elijah Wilkinson benched?
On the possession when Moore ran for a touchdown, Wilkinson was not in the game. It was Trystan Colon.
Wilkinson was not being examined for an injury. It appeared he might have been benched.
Wilkinson returns
On the Cardinals’ next possession, Wilkinson returned to his spot at left guard.
Cardinals 18, Cowboys 10
The Cardinals went 50 yards in 10 before halftime, boosted by a 26-yard run by James Conner.
Matt Prater hit a 51-yard field goal but the Cowboys were offside, giving the Cardinals a first down. However, they couldn’t do anything else and came off the field with Prater making a field goal from 43, giving them an eight-point lead with 1:28 left in the half.
PRATER HITS 62-YARDER TO END HALF: Cardinals 21, Cowboys 10
Matt Prater nailed a 62-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to give the Cardinals a 21-10 halftime lead.
Cardinals 21, Cowboys 13
The Cowboys opened the second half with a 13-yard drive. It didn’t end in a touchdown, but they picked up three with a 27-yard field goal.
Zaven Collins injures eye
Collins left the game with an injury. He was visibly upset when he came off the field. It was an eye injury and the team announced he was questionable to return.
4th-down stop!
.@AZCardinals defense with a HUGE stop on 4th and 4 in the red zone 🤫
📺: #DALvsAZ on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/UQdQ05hqXN pic.twitter.com/eOiINoss6a— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2023
After the Cardinals had to punt on their first possession, the Cowboys drove down to inside the 10. They went for it on fourth down and the Cardinals forced the incompletion and took over after the loss od downs.
Cardinals 21, Cowboys 16
The Cowboys had a 12-play drive but the Cardinals held again inside the 10. This time, they kicked a 26-yard field goal to pull within five points. 9:33 to go and the Cardinals can close this out.
DOBBS TO HOLLYWOOD FOR TD! Cardinals 28, Cowboys 16
The Cardinals might have just put this game away. Dobbs threw a 69-yard pass to a wide-open rookie receiver Michael Wilson and in four plays, they went 76 yards for a touchdown. Dobbs hit Marquise Brown for a two-yard touchdown pass. That gave them a 12-point lead with 7:22 to go.
LB Krys Barnes hurt
Barnes exited the game before the Cowboys’ 26-yard field goal with a hand injury. They were already missing Josh Woods, who was out with an ankle injury. Zeke Turner replaced him in the lineup.
KYZIR WHITE END ZONE INT
The Cowboys again went down the field and again the Cardinals were good in the red zone. With three minutes left on third-and-goal from the six, Dak Prescott was picked off by linebacker Kyzir White in the end zone.
The Cardinals took over with a 12-point lead with three minutes left from their own 20.
Cardinals run out the clock, win game!
The Cardinals didn’t give the Cowboys another chance. They ran the clock out on offense, forcing the Cowboys to use up their timeouts.
They win 28-16.
