Todd Archer
Josh Weinfuss
Josh Weinfuss
ESPN Staff Writer
Josh Weinfuss is a staff writer who covers the Arizona Cardinals and the NFL at ESPN. Josh has covered the Cardinals since 2012, joining ESPN in 2013. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and a graduate of Indiana University.
ARLINGTON, Texas — It’s over. Finished. Done.
The Cardinals’ five-game losing streak was snapped in rather impressive fashion: With a 27-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys in AT&T Stadium on Monday Night Football.
It wasn’t pretty toward the end and brought back memories from earlier in the season when Arizona gave away games in the fourth quarter.
But Monday night’s win did more than end a winning drought. It created a quarterback controversy.
Kyler Murray is the established, incumbent, bona fide starter with the $230.5 million contract but the Cardinals offense looked better and more efficient, both statistically and to the naked eye, with Jacoby Brissett running it.
Brissett now owns the top three passing games of the season – and he’s started three times. The Cardinals’ offense topped 300 yards for the third straight game after hitting the mark just once when Kyler Murray started the first five games.
It won’t be an easy choice one way or the other but the Cardinals will face a decision.
Here are the most important things to know from Monday night for both teams:
Most surprising performance: Marvin Harrison Jr. set a career high on Monday night with seven catches 96 yards. He had six catches three times in his career heading to Monday. His eight targets in the first half also set a career high. Harrison had 80 yards in the first half, his most in a first half since Week 2 of last season.
Trend to watch: With his touchdown catch Monday night, Trey McBride has four receiving touchdowns in three career games in which Brissett started. He’s had five receiving touchdowns in 39 career games with Murray as the starting quarterback.
QB performance: Brissett turned in another productive start, throwing for ### yards and two touchdowns without throwing an interception. He’s now thrown for six touchdowns and one interception in his three starts. — Josh Weinfuss
Next game: at Seattle Seahawks (4:05 p.m. ET CBS)
Dallas Cowboys (3-5-1)
The Cowboys’ 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals Monday doesn’t mean the season is over, but it seems that way.
At 3-5-1, the Cowboys’ path to the playoffs appears slim because they would need help to stay in the NFC East race from Philadelphia (6-2) and help in the wild-card chase with tiebreaking losses to Chicago, Carolina and, now, Arizona.
The defensive issues remained, although there could be a trade — or trades — by Tuesday’s deadline that could help at least a little. Arizona did not even need Kyler Murray’s perfect record (9-0) at AT&T Stadium to beat the Cowboys. Backup Jacoby Brissett diced them up. And the offense failed to score a touchdown on two goal-to-go possessions and found the end zone just once. A chance at an improbable comeback ended with a Javonte Williams’ fumble with 4:34 to play.
The worst part? The Cowboys have to sit on this performance through the bye week and all the way to Nov. 17, when they will face the Raiders on another Monday night.
Editor’s Picks
Trend to watch: For as good as the Cowboys have been offensively at AT&T Stadium, averaging better than 40 points per game entering Monday, the first quarter has not been kind to them this season overall. The Cowboys were held scoreless in the first quarter for the third time, tied for the most in the NFL with the Saints. Dallas’ first drive on Monday stalled out after four first downs in the first six plays got them to Arizona’s 7-yard line, thanks to a negative run, a dropped pass and a goal-to-go sack of Dak Prescott on fourth down.
Stat to know: There are many reasons the Cowboys’ defense is poor. Near the top of the list is their third-down defense. Entering Week 9, the Cowboys had the worst third-down defense, giving up a first down 52.4% of the time. In the first half Monday, the Cardinals converted 7 of 9 third-down opportunities. It is the sixth time in nine games the Cowboys have allowed at least seven third-down conversions in a game.
Turning point: If the Cowboys were going to make things interesting, then they had to get a stop after Sam Williams’ blocked punt was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown by Marshawn Kneeland to cut Arizona’s lead to 10-7. It didn’t happen. The only team in the league that did not have a drive of at least 74 yards on the season entering the game, had an 11-play, 74-yard drive that ended in a 1-yard keeper by Jacoby Brissett with 49 seconds left in the half to give the Cardinals a 10-point advantage at halftime. The Cowboys are now 1-19 with Dak Prescott as the starter when they trail by 10 or more points at halftime. — Todd Archer
Next game: at Las Vegas Raiders (Nov. 17, 8:15 p.m. ET)
