At the midway point of their season, the Cardinals are the ones to catch in the NFC West.
Efficient on offense, stout on defense and opportunistic in the kicking game, the 7-1 Cardinals surged to a 28-17 victory at Dallas on Sunday. Quarterback Carson Palmer threw three scoring passes for Arizona, which put the game away with two TDs in 100 seconds in the fourth quarter.
The loss dropped Dallas, which was without starting quarterback Tony Romo, to 6-3. The Cowboys are now a half-game out of first place in the NFC East.
The pivotal play came with about 10 minutes left and the Cowboys trailing 14-10. With Dallas facing a 4th-and-1 at the Arizona 34, the Cardinals’ defense loaded the box to stop the run, with all 11 players within five yards of the line.
The Cowboys stuck with the run, with quarterback Brandon Weeden handing off to tailback DeMarco Murray. But the Cardinals stacked up the line, holding Murray short. The Cardinals then seized control, embarking on a nine-play, 65-yard march ending in a one-yard TD pass from Palmer to tailback Andre Ellington with 6:00 left in regulation.
Now, the Cowboys (6-3) were down 21-10, and they were left to lean on the pass, for better or worse. And on the second play of the ensuing drive, Weeden was picked for the second time, with Cardinals cornerback Antonio Cromartie hauling in an off-target pass intended for Cowboys wideout Terrance Williams.
Five plays later, the Cardinals sealed the deal, with tailback Marion Grice powering in from one yard out to extend the margin to 28-10.
The Cowboys would counter with a late TD, with Weeden hitting Dez Bryant for a three-yard score. However, the catch was only the second of the game for Bryant, who was rendered a non-factor for almost the entire contest. Weeden’s lack of command was a major cause; the Cowboys’ backup quarterback really struggled with his accuracy at times. The ex-Brown No. 1 pick finished with 183 yards and one TD on 18-of-33 passing.
In defeat, the Cowboys’ defense played fairly well. Cornerback Tyler Patmon picked Palmer on the first drive, returning it for a score. But the Arizona offense would soon settle down, and it showed a knack for moving the chains all day, converting 9-of-15 third downs.
And once the Cardinals’ offense started to move, the Cowboys were under pressure. The Cardinals’ stout run defense came up big again, holding DeMarco Murray to 79 yards on 19 carries. The Cardinals’ kicking game would come up big, too, with cornerback Justin Bethel blocking a field goal at the end of the half.
Still, the Cowboys hung around. And then, the Cardinals got that fourth-down stop early in the fourth quarter and got down to business, leaving Dallas in their wake.