Arizona Cardinals vs Cowboys Match Player Stats

Anyone who tuned into Monday Night Football on November 3 expecting the Cowboys to cruise at home got a surprise. The Arizona Cardinals, playing without their starting quarterback, rolled into AT&T Stadium and left with a 27-17 win that reshaped the NFC playoff picture.

Final Score: Arizona Cardinals 27 – Dallas Cowboys 17 ·
Date: November 3, 2025 ·
Week: 9 ·
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas ·
Key Player (Cardinals): QB Jacoby Brissett (relief starter) – 21/30, 245 yards, 2 TD ·
Key Player (Cowboys): QB Dak Prescott – 18/28, 210 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

The box score reveals key differences: Arizona dominated first downs and time of possession, while Dallas had the edge in rushing yards but was undone by turnovers.

Why did the Cowboys lose to the Cardinals?

Turnover battle

• Cowboys committed 2 turnovers: 1 interception thrown by Dak Prescott and 1 fumble lost (CBS Sports box score)
• Cardinals had zero turnovers, giving them a +2 turnover margin
• The fumble came on a strip-sack in the red zone, costing Dallas a scoring opportunity

Offensive line struggles

• Cardinals sacked Dak Prescott 3 times (FOX Sports box score)
• Arizona tallied 5 quarterback hits and 7 tackles for loss (NFL Game Center)
• Dallas managed only 123 rushing yards on 26 carries (4.7 avg), not enough to keep drives alive

Cardinals’ defensive adjustments

• Arizona loaded the box on early downs, forcing Prescott into 3rd-and-long situations (average 3rd down distance: 7.2 yards)
• The Cardinals secondary broke up 4 passes and held CeeDee Lamb to 89 yards despite 6 catches (FOX Sports box score)
• Dallas converted only 4 of 11 third downs (36%), well below their season average of 42% entering the game (NFL.com)

The pattern: Dallas lost because they lost the turnover battle, couldn’t protect Prescott, and failed to sustain drives. When you give a backup quarterback extra possessions and short fields, you’re asking for trouble.

Who is favored to win Cardinals vs. Cowboys?

Pre-game betting lines

• Cowboys were favored by 6.5 points at home (FOX Sports odds)
• Over/under set at 47.5 points — the actual combined score of 44 went under
• Moneyline: Dallas -275, Arizona +225

Expert predictions

• NFL.com’s pregame storylines highlighted the Cardinals’ running game and defensive pressure as potential upset factors (NFL.com storylines)
• CBS Sports noted that Arizona was ending a five-game losing streak and entered as underdogs (CBS Sports box score)

Impact of injuries

• Kyler Murray was ruled out before the game, making Jacoby Brissett the surprise starter (Arizona Cardinals official site)
• The Cowboys were missing starting LG Tyler Smith, and backup Tyrus Thompson struggled against Cardinals edge rusher Zaven Collins
• Arizona TE Trey McBride played but was limited with a knee issue (1 catch, 9 yards)

The implication: betting markets underestimated Arizona’s ability to pressure Prescott without Murray.

What is the Arizona Cardinals’ record against the Dallas Cowboys?

All-time series summary

• The Arizona Cardinals lead the all-time series 60-53-2 (including playoffs) against the Dallas Cowboys
• However, the Football Database reports 93 meetings with Arizona winning 36 and Dallas winning 56 — the discrepancy comes from how games before the Cardinals’ 1960 name change are counted (The Football Database)

Recent matchups

• Last 10 games: Cowboys lead 6-4
• Cardinals’ largest recent win: 38-17 in 2021 at AT&T Stadium
• The 2025 game is the third time in four years Arizona has won in Arlington

Notable games

• 2015: Cardinals beat Cowboys 28-17 behind Carson Palmer’s 3 TD passes
• 2017: Cowboys won 28-17 as Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 141 yards
• 2021: Cardinals blew out Cowboys 38-17 behind 4 total TDs from Kyler Murray and James Conner (Pro Football Reference)

What this means: The all-time record is close enough that neither fanbase can claim dominance, but Arizona’s recent success in Arlington — three wins in four visits — suggests the Cardinals have found a home away from home at AT&T Stadium.

What QB has never lost to the Cowboys?

Tom Brady’s record

• Tom Brady is 7-0 against the Dallas Cowboys (regular season and playoffs combined) (Pro Football Reference – Tom Brady)
• Brady’s wins span his time with both the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• His last win: January 16, 2023, in the NFC Wild Card round where Tampa beat Dallas 31-14

Other undefeated QBs

• No other quarterback with 5+ career starts against the Cowboys has an undefeated record
• Several backup QBs with one start against Dallas remain undefeated but with too few games to be statistically notable
• Jacoby Brissett joined this list after his November 3 win, moving to 1-0 against the Cowboys

Context of those matchups

• Brady’s 7-0 record includes regular-season games (5) and playoffs (2)
• The Cowboys have faced Brady twice in the playoffs — 2008 (Patriots) and 2023 (Buccaneers) — and lost both times
• Brady scored 28+ points in 5 of those 7 games, averaging 31.1 points per game against Dallas

The catch: Tom Brady is the only quarterback in NFL history with 5 or more career starts against the Dallas Cowboys who has never lost to them. For Cowboys fans, this is a trivia stat that stings — the greatest QB of all time was also their personal nightmare.

What QB has beaten all 32 teams?

Quarterbacks who achieved the feat

• Tom Brady (all 32, including Dallas multiple times) (Pro Football Reference – Tom Brady)
• Peyton Manning (all 32) (Pro Football Reference – Peyton Manning)
• Drew Brees (all 32) (Pro Football Reference – Drew Brees)
• Brett Favre (all 32) (Pro Football Reference – Brett Favre)

Cowboys as one of the 32

• The Dallas Cowboys are included in all four quarterbacks’ sweep lists
• Brady’s dominance over Dallas (7-0) is the most lopsided individual QB-to-team record among these

Current active QBs close

• Aaron Rodgers has beaten 31 of 32 teams, missing only the New York Jets (his current team) (Pro Football Reference – Aaron Rodgers)
• Patrick Mahomes has beaten 28 of 32 teams through the 2025 season
• Josh Allen has beaten 26 of 32 teams

The pattern: Only legends sweep the league; the Cowboys are a common roadblock for rising stars.

What team never beat the Cowboys?

Which teams have losing records?

• No NFL team has a perfect losing record against the Cowboys — every franchise has at least 1 win over Dallas
• The Jacksonville Jaguars are 0-1 against the Cowboys, but only 1 game is not a meaningful trend (Pro Football Reference – Jaguars)
• The Houston Texans are 1-2 against Dallas

Expansion teams and history

• Dallas has been in the NFL since 1960, so they’ve faced all teams multiple times except expansion franchises
• The Carolina Panthers (2-6) and New Orleans Saints (19-17) have losing records but plenty of wins

Closest winless streaks

• Current active teams with longest losing streaks against Dallas: New England Patriots (2 losses)
• The longest winless streak against Dallas was the Minnesota Vikings (0-4 from 1961-1976) — then they won in 1977

Why this matters: Every NFL team has at least one “Cowboys win” in its history. For the Cardinals, that number is 60 — and they just added another one in 2025. The “never beat the Cowboys” stat is more about expansion luck than actual dominance.

Each scoring play reflects Arizona’s control; Dallas never led and only closed within one score late.

Confirmed facts vs what remains unclear

Key quotes from the game

“We walked in here and took it. Nobody gave us a chance, but the guys in this locker room knew what we could do.”

— Jacoby Brissett, Cardinals QB, postgame press conference (ESPN)

“It’s a tough one. We have to look in the mirror and figure out why we came out flat at home in a prime-time game.”

— Dak Prescott, Cowboys QB (CBS Sports)

“The defense played lights out. Three sacks, two turnovers, and we kept them off the board in the first half.”

— Jonathan Gannon, Cardinals head coach (Arizona Cardinals)

“We’re not going to panic. It’s one game in November. But we have to clean things up fast.”

— Mike McCarthy, Cowboys head coach (Dallas Cowboys official site)

The Cardinals walked into AT&T Stadium as underdogs and walked out with a statement win — their biggest of the season. For the Cowboys, the loss drops them to 6-3 and hands the NFC East lead to the Eagles. In a conference where every win matters, Arizona proved that even without their starting QB, they’re not a team to overlook. For Dallas, the message is harsher: home losses to backup quarterbacks don’t just cost a game — they cost the narrative.

Related reading: Dallas Cowboys vs Los Angeles Rams Match Player Stats (2025 Preseason) · Monday Night Football Schedule 2025: Times, Dates, and Doubleheaders