The Dallas Cowboys have never won a game against the Arizona Cardinals inside AT&T Stadium. With their loss in Week 8, they fell to 0-5 in such contests. The 33-30 overtime loss was undoubtedly the most disappointing result of the bunch. In fact, former Cowboys quarterback Ben DiNucci called the loss “embarrassing.”
Despite taking a 10-point lead with 3:54 left in regulation, the Cowboys lost for the third time in the last four weeks. They led by 14 points in the fourth quarter and, for the first time this century, lost a home game with that kind of late advantage. They had won each of their last 69 such matches. It was as disheartening a performance as any in the NFL.
“It was absolutely embarrassing today,” DiNucci said on CBS Sports HQ. “They stink. I’m at a loss for words, honestly. They have so much talent on both sides of the ball, and year after year, week after week, all we see is just disappointments from them. I’m not sure what needs to change. … But at some point, the same old, same old in Dallas for the Cowboys, it’s not enough. Something has to change. Someone has to look in the mirror. I don’t know who it is, but it was a loss embarrassing for them.”
Dallas was fortunate to even have a second chance to win the game in overtime, because without a missed extra point on the Cardinals’ final touchdown, they almost certainly would have lost in regulation.
Adding insult to injury, Arizona sparked its comeback with a backup quarterback. Gardner Minshew came in in relief of Jacoby Brissett and immediately elevated the offense with help from running back Tyler Allgeier. Additionally, the Cardinals could be destined to finish the year in last place in the NFC West. This is the caliber of opponent the Cowboys must defeat to achieve their goal of winning their own division, which remains entirely up for grabs.
“It comes down to effort for the Dallas Cowboys,” DiNucci said. “When you turn on the tape week to week – and honestly, I hate to question the effort of guys in the NFL because we all understand what happens day to day and week to week in these locker rooms and these organizations – but the effort isn’t there for the Cowboys. You never know what team you’re facing week to week. You can tell the passing game from the passing game based on how much effort the guys are putting in on offense.”
DiNucci’s requested changes may not include a coaching change. Team owner Jerry Jones said firing Brian Schottenheimer in the middle of the season was not an option. If not, then what? There are only a limited number of ways to spark a meaningful turnaround when a team appears to be at rock bottom.
DiNucci understands the pressure that comes with being a Cowboys star, having spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons as the team’s backup quarterback, and he said star veterans need to step up and change the culture.
“At some point, something in this locker room has to change,” DiNucci said. “The leaders, whoever they are: Dak Prescott, Quinnen Williams, CeeDee Lamb. Whoever it is, someone has to take control of this locker room and say, ‘Guys, whatever we’re doing right now is just not working. We have to let this thing go. We have to ignore the outside noise.’
“I think a big part of the problem in Dallas is that there’s so much going on outside of football there. It’s hard for guys to separate football from what’s going on off the field. I can say that. I was there for a few years. I saw it with my own eyes on Mondays and Tuesdays; when I practice on my off days, they have tours of the facilities, letting people see us work and meetings and this and that. of things that come with being a Cowboys football player, and I wonder if at some point it starts to take a toll on guys.”
There are some opportunities for success in the near future for Dallas, with the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles accounting for three of their next four opponents. If a bye week is what this team needs, it won’t happen until Week 14.
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