The Arizona Cardinals picked up their first win of the season on Sunday, defeating the Dallas Cowboys 28-16 at State Farm Stadium.
It was a game in which the Cowboys beat the Cardinals in most statistical categories.
Buy Cardinals TicketsThey outgained the Cardinals. They were better on third down. They won time of possession.
However, the red-zone defense of the Cardinals was the difference in the game.
Arizona held Dallas to 1-for-5 in the red zone scoring touchdowns. The Cowboys went 0-for-2 in goal-to-goal situations.
The Cowboys’ one turnover was at the end of the game in the red zone.
After giving up 31 points in the second half last week to the New York Giants and knowing the Cowboys would rally offensively, the Cardinals knew what they had to do better.
“Last week against the Giants, we were giving up touchdowns in the red zone,” linebacker Kyzir White said after the game. “This week, the big emphasis was let’s be great in the red zone and limit them to three whether we are playing on a short field or not. Whether they drive it down there, let’s just try to get them to kick some field goals.”
The Cowboys made it to the red zone all four of their possessions in the second half. The Cardinals forced field goals twice, got the ball back on a fourth-down stop and then White had an interception in the end zone to seal the victory.
Last week, the Giants went 4-for-5 scoring touchdowns in the red zone, all in the second half, scoring touchdowns on four and a field goal on the fifth trip.
After that choke job, the Cardinals, even with a depleted defense, were able to do enough late in drives to keep the Cowboys from scoring touchdowns.
The result was an upset win.
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