ARLINGTON, Tx —The Dallas Cowboys had a disastrous 27-3 loss against the Arizona Cardinals in preseason week 3. The Cowboys entered the game 0-2 and did not have the performance and statement they needed to make without first teamers Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott on the field.
The Cowboys had a disastrous first quarter. Lance Lenoir muffed a catch on a punt, resulting in the Cardinals recovering the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. Two plays later, Cooper Rush through a pick 6 and the Cardinals were up 14-0. To top things off, safety Kavon Frazier left the field with a left shoulder injury to add to the injury list in the secondary for the Cowboys. The best thing to report was Randy Gregory’s sack on Sam Bradford for a loss of 10 yards for the Cardinals on third down, causing them to punt.
Things did not get significantly better during the second quarter for the Cowboys, but backup linebackers Joe Thomas and Justin March-Lillard had great tackles on key plays to help out the struggling defense. Cooper Rush ended the half 11 for 17 with 93 yards, 2 interceptions, and 0 touchdowns.
Arizona scored right after 3 plays for 70 yards on the opening drive of the third quarter to put the Cardinals up 24-0. Brett Maher kicked a 45-yard field goal in the fourth to finally put the Cowboys on the board, but they were never able to make it in the end zone for a touchdown due to turnovers. The Cowboys had a total of eight in the game. During the press conference concluding the game, head coach Jason Garrett stated that he has “never seen a preseason game with that many turnovers!”
The Cowboys will have to amp up practice this week as they prepare for their final preseason matchup on Thursday vs. the Houston Texans.
