The Dallas Cowboys are riding high after a thorough destruction of their first two opponents of the season.
The hype train is in full effect after outscoring the Giants and Jets by a combined score of 70-10.
This season has started out with success of epic proportions, but it’s important to take one game at a time.
It’s the NFL after all, and the phrase “any given Sunday” proves to ring true seemingly every weekend.
The guys on the other side of the ball also get paid and don’t much care for the success you’re having.
Oddly enough, the Arizona Cardinals are a team that has taught the Cowboys this lesson more often than not over the past few seasons.
Dallas, once winners of 13 straight over the Cardinals in the 90s, have lost six of their last seven games versus Arizona.
Some of those losses have come in surprising fashion, under the same circumstances the team is experiencing this week.
Let’s take a look at the most unexpected results of the matchups between these two teams over the last decade or so.
2021 Week 17
Date: 1/2/2021
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Record: DAL (11-4), ARI (10-5)
Result: ARI 25, DAL 22
The Cowboys entered this 2021 matchup in a tight race for the NFC’s number-one seed.
Their hopes were dashed by the legs of Arizona QB Kyler Murray, along with a Cardinals defense that was more stout than they expected.
Dak Prescott had an impressive game passing if you look at it from an outside lens, throwing for 63% completions and three touchdowns.
However, Prescott fumbled the ball away early in the 4th quarter with Dallas trailing by only one possession.
That turnover coupled with an inefficient running game (45 yards on 17 carries) was the recipe for a three-point loss and an eventual Wildcard berth.
Dropping to the third seed in the NFC led to the worst possible matchup in the Wildcard round, the San Francisco 49ers.
We know how that ended.
2014 Week 9
Date: 11/2/2014
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Record: DAL (6-2), ARI (6-1)
Result: ARI 28, DAL 17
Like the previously covered matchup, Dallas entered this game in a furious race for the NFC’s number one seed.
Unfortunately, a back injury to star QB Tony Romo kept him from playing, and backup Brandon Weeden got the start.
Despite Romo’s absence, Dallas was still the favorite at home thanks to an NFL-best rushing attack led by DeMarco Murray.
The Cowboys also had an opportunistic defense that displayed their penchant for turnovers on the first drive of the game.
Rookie CB Tyler Patmon stepped in front of a Carson Palmer pass for an interception and returned it 58 yards for a touchdown.
Dallas would tack on a field goal to take a 10-0 lead at the end of the 1st quarter, but it was all downhill from there.
Palmer and the offense heated up while the Cowboys’ offense sputtered under Weeden’s command.
Arizona would outscore Dallas 28-7 in the final three quarters, and leave AT&T Stadium with an NFC best 7-1 record.
Dallas would finish the season tied with Seattle and Green Bay for the best record in the NFC, but the tiebreaker placed them third.
Instead of a first-round bye and home-field advantage, the Cowboys would instead travel to Green Bay in the Divisional round.
First of all, Dez caught it.
Second of all, a win versus those Cardinals likely changes the trajectory of the entire season.
2011 Week 13
Date: 12/4/2011
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Record: DAL (7-4), ARI (4-7)
Result: ARI 19, DAL 13 OT
The Cowboys came into this game winners of four straight, and in sole possession of first place in the NFC East.
They would also suffer the third straight defeat at the hands of the Cardinals in Arizona.
It was a tough, defensive battle that saw Dallas take a 13-6 lead into the 4th quarter.
The offense was ineffective in the final quarter, managing two punts and a missed field goal on three possessions.
With the score tied at 13 near the end of regulation, the Cowboys trotted out Dan Bailey for a game-winning 49-yard field goal.
Bailey’s kick sailed through the uprights for what appeared to be a game-winning kick.
It was blown dead, however, as Head Coach Jason Garrett inexplicably called a timeout just before the snap.
Bailey’s second attempt was short, and the game went to overtime.
A swing pass to LaRod Stephens-Howling on a long 3rd down resulted in the minuscule running back breaking tackles 52 yards all the way to the endzone for the walk-off touchdown.
The loss gave the rest of the NFC East some traction instead of giving the Cowboys a three-game lead with only four games to play.
Dallas would lose three of the final four, and finish one game back of the Giants for the NFC East crown.
The Giants would make an incredible run through the playoffs, eventually winning the Super Bowl.
It’s difficult not to imagine that the Cowboys could have made the same run if not for the loss in Arizona.
2008 Week 6
Date: 10/12/2008
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Record: DAL (4-1), ARI (3-2)
Result: ARI 30, DAL 24 OT
Like 2011, the 2008 season saw Dallas take a loss in overtime to an underdog Cardinals team in Arizona.
The loss came early in the season but would have ramifications not apparent until the season’s end.
Dallas, winners of four of their first five games, allowed the Cardinals to stay in the game, beginning with a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by J.J. Arrington.
Tony Romo and Kurt Warner exchanged blows all game, and regulation ended with the score tied at 24.
Dallas received the overtime kickoff but went 3 & out.
Pro Bowl P Mat McBriar trotted out for his eighth punt of the game, but it was blocked and returned for a touchdown, ending the game immediately.
The Cardinals would end up playing Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl, while Dallas would fizzle to an 8-8 finish, missing the playoffs by one game.
As you can see, Arizona has not been a happy place for the Cowboys, regardless of record or talent on the team.
The Cardinals might look like a juicy matchup but don’t underestimate the power of their home field.
It’s proven to be more than enough time and again.
