Cardinals-Cowboys on 'Monday Night Football': What We Learned from Arizona's 27-17 win

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• REWATCH: Cardinals-Cowboys on NFL+ Premium
• READ: Cardinals still in top 10 of draft after win; Cowboys in top 15
• READ: Brissett's 3-TD night snaps Cards' losing streak; Murray still QB1
• READ: Cowboys acquire Bengals LB after loss to Cardinals

1. Brissett makes emphatic QB1 case. It's remarkable how much better Arizona's offense operates with Jacoby Brissett at the controls in comparison to Kyler Murray. It's even more stunning to write that in 2025, but it's true. Look no further than Monday night, a game in which the Cardinals once again finished with more than 300 offensive yards -- a mark they hadn't flirted with in Murray's six starts. They compiled two impressive touchdown drives of 74 yards in the middle eight, taking a commanding 24-7 lead thanks to an efficient and occasionally explosive offense. Perhaps most importantly, Brissett clearly has a rapport with 2024 first-round pick Marvin Harrison Jr., opening up their passing offense by feeding the talented receiver targets early and often and reaping the reward when Harrison dusted DaRon Bland along the goal line for Arizona's first touchdown. All of this is made possible by Brissett, an experienced veteran who can clearly execute offensive coordinator Drew Petzing's offense efficiently and largely keep the Cardinals on schedule.
2. Dallas' defense is still bad. Keeping it simple here, the Arizona Cardinals are not a team that should find significant success on the ground against almost any defense in the NFL. They've lost their top two backs and have been subjected to a carousel of contributors at the position, which spins only because Arizona has no other option. The duo of Emari Demercado and Bam Knight apparently didn't get the memo, combining for 106 yards on 23 attempts to balance out an offense that was expected to lean heavily on Brissett's arm. Instead, the Cowboys were often on their heels, struggled with tackling and lost the physical battle, a rock-bottom display in front of a national audience that cannot be fixed by a trade at the deadline.
3. Arizona's defense makes a statement. It's no secret that the Cowboys are a team that wins with offense, making for what should have been a challenging night for the Cardinals. It's also not a coincidence that they stifled Dallas' second-ranked offense on the same night that first-round pick Walter Nolen made his NFL debut. The rookie recorded a sack in his first professional game, clogged up the interior, recorded one of Arizona's two run stuffs on the night and completed the Cardinals' defensive front, which wreaked havoc on the Cowboys' offense by making Dak Prescott visibly uncomfortable throughout the night. Though his numbers look good in the box score, Javonte Williams (15 carries for 83 yards) failed to make a significant impact on this game, while George Pickens seemed to disappear for lengthy stretches before reemerging in the fourth quarter. Each were a testament to the Cardinals defense, a unit that played as if it knew the game would rest on its shoulders. With contributions from Josh Sweat (2.0 sacks), Nolen and Calais Campbell -- whose two sacks moved him past J.J. Watt into 24th place on the all-time sacks list (115.5) -- this unit delivered.
4. Cowboys will lament their missed opportunities. Given Dallas' defensive struggles, its offensive aggression in plus territory was understandable Monday night. What unfortunately appears ugly in hindsight, however, are the results. The Cowboys turned it over on downs twice in or on the edge of the Cardinals' red zone Monday night, watching their opening possession end on a fourth down sack of Prescott (courtesy of Sweat) while another crucial drive concluded with a thud when Prescott hesitated to throw to CeeDee Lamb before lofting a ball that seemed to hang in the air for ages, which was more than enough time for rookie Will Johnson to close the distance and break up the pass. In the majority of the season's first two months, Prescott found ways to convert these key downs (see: Week 4 shootout with Green Bay that ended in a tie), but in the last two weeks, the Cowboys have flopped in the biggest moments. These failures contributed to their loss Monday night and also suggested the Cowboys might have a legitimate reason for concern going forward.
5. Cardinals finally stave off defeat in fourth quarter. Entering Monday night, Arizona had lost five straight by a combined margin of just 13 points. The fourth-quarter performances represented a Jenga tower's collapse, with all five losses coming within the final 4:32 of the game (including three losses on walk-off field goals). Finally, on the sixth try, the Cardinals stood tall through the end of regulation, refusing to allow a desperate Cowboys team to claw its way back into contention by stripping Javonte Williams of possession and intercepting Dak Prescott to seal the victory. So ends the losing streak, historic for its narrow combined margin of defeat and reviled for its heartbreak. May these Cardinals fly onward freed from the weight of disappointment.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Cardinals-Cowboys (via NFL Pro): Marvin Harrison Jr. caught seven of his 10 targets for 96 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys, including five of six targets for 61 yards and his TD on 11 routes matched up with DaRon Bland.

NFL Research: With a touchdown reception Monday night, Cardinals tight end Trey McBride increased his receiving touchdowns total to four in three Jacoby Brissett starts. McBride has five receiving touchdowns in 39 career games played with Kyler Murray as Arizona's starting quarterback.