The Dallas Cowboys may have reached a new low in the Brian Schottenheimer era Sunday.
Despite holding a double-digit lead multiple times in Week 8, including as late as inside the 3-minute mark of the fourth quarter, the Cowboys couldn’t put away the last-placed Arizona Cardinals.
Dallas allowed Cardinals quarterback Gardner Minshew II to throw two touchdowns in the final 140 seconds of regulation to tie the game. Arizona then won the contest with a field goal in overtime.
After the embarrassing defeat, CBS Sports’s John Breech crushed the Cowboys in his weekly team grades. In Week 8, Breech handed the Cowboys an F-grade.
“This was an inexcusable loss for a Cowboys team that couldn’t afford to lose. The defense has been a problem all year in Dallas and if you want to know how bad things have gotten, just watch the fourth quarter of this game,” wrote CBS Sports’s John Breech. “The Cardinals piled up 222 yards of offense and they scored a TD on all three of their possessions. The defense’s failure is why Arizona was able to win despite trailing by 10 points with four minutes left to play.
Through the first eight weeks, the Cowboys might be the most disappointing team in the NFL.
With the loss, the Cowboys dropped to 3-5 this season. They have lost home games to the Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers this fall.
Cowboys Lose to Cardinals in Embarrassing Fashion
It’s been a rough season for the Cowboys to begin 2026. They couldn’t hold the Baltimore Ravens off the scoreboard in the final seven seconds of the fourth quarter during Week 3 to force overtime.
In other defeats, the Cowboys run defense was terrible. That was an issue again versus the Cardinals.
While Dallas held top rookie running back Jeremiyah Love to 23 rushing yards, Tyler Allgeier ran for 147 yards and a touchdown on only 11 carries for Arizona. Overall, the Cardinals posted 202 rushing yards.
With the defeat to the Cardinals, the Cowboys have lost to two sub-.500 clubs at home this season. They also haven’t beaten a team with a winning record.
Despite being 3-5, the Cowboys remain alive in the division race because of the weak NFC East. But they have already lost to the division-leading New York Giants.
The Cowboys could improve their run defense with another trade before next Tuesday’s deadline. But the last major deal the Cowboys made in acquiring cornerback Joey Porter Jr. has made little impact on the unit overall. It’s worth wondering how much more future draft capital the Cowboys should sacrifice to try and save this year’s struggling team.
The Cowboys have winnable games on their schedule with upcoming matchups against the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles. They will also face the San Francisco 49ers before Thanksgiving.
If there are any more performances like the one from Sunday against the Cardinals, though, pundits are going to be talking about Schottenheimer’s job security rather than the postseason with the Cowboys.
Cowboys Put on Blast Over ‘Inexcusable’ Loss to Cardinals