Joshua Dobbs threw for 189 yards and a pivotal fourth quarter touchdown Sunday as the Arizona Cardinals cracked the code on the previously impenetrable Dallas Cowboys’ defense in a 28-16 upset win in Glendale, Ariz.
Dobbs’ 2-yard scoring strike to Marquise Brown with 7:22 left in the game finished off a four-play 76-yard touchdown drive that quashed Dallas’ game-long comeback try. Dobbs completed 17 of 21 passes while adding 55 yards on the ground.
In giving coach Jonathan Gannon his first NFL win, Arizona (1-2) rolled up 400 total yards and averaged 7.5 yards per play against a team that allowed only 10 points in dominant wins over the New York Giants and New York Jets.
Dak Prescott completed 25 of 40 passes for 249 yards and a touchdown for the Cowboys, while Tony Pollard rushed for 122 yards on 23 carries. But Prescott also tossed a game-clinching interception to Kyzir White in the end zone with three minutes left.
Dallas also ran into penalty problems, an indication of its overall sloppiness. In losing as an 11-point favorite, the Cowboys were flagged 13 times for 107 yards.
Beginning with the second play of the game, a 44-yard run by Dobbs that saw him fool Dallas with a well-executed option play, Arizona seemed a step ahead of the Cowboys throughout the first half.
It scored on all five of its possessions in the half, Matt Prater starting it with a 39-yard field goal less than 2 ½ minutes in. James Conner pounded into the end zone from the 5 on the next possession to cap an 82-yard drive.
After Dallas got a 49-yard field goal from Brandon Aubrey, the Cardinals made it 15-3 at the 12:31 mark of the second quarter on Rondale Moore’s 45-yard run. Prescott drew Dallas within 15-10 on a 15-yard touchdown pass to Rico Dowdle.
Prater gave Arizona a 21-10 halftime lead with a pair of field goals. He connected from 43 with 1:28 left and then lined a 62-yarder as time expired.
–Field Level Media
