Cardinals Stun Cowboys in Dallas - Full Game Grades Revealed

When Jacoby Brissett was signed in the offseason there was undeniable excitement over bringing in one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league. Over the past three weeks that excitement has been validated as the Cardinals offense has seemingly functioned even better with the career journeyman under center.

For the first time since Carson Palmer was taking snaps, a Cardinals quarterback has gone three games in a row finishing with over 250 passing yards and 2 touchdowns in each outing.

Watching the tape, Brissett has been impressive. He regularly steps up and into throws before taking a hit and has shown himself very adept at running a play-action heavy offense, a strategy that came into play in Dallas with over 50% of passing attempts on Monday night coming through play-action.

Marvin Harrison, Jr. arrived early as well, setting career records for targets and receptions. Now, it should be noted that it should not have taken this long to consider throwing to the former No. 4 overall pick early and often, but late is possibly better than never.

The first seven reception game of Harrison, Jr.'s career, Monday also marked the first time that the second year receiver led the team in receptions.

Granted, that is largely because tight end Trey McBride has been such an undeniable force since bursting into the top ranks of the position last year. He continued his streak of great play this week with 55 receiving yards and a score.

Michael Wilson has shown the ability for big plays in the past, but has not consistently gotten those opportunities. He started the second half with a massive 50 yard gain that helped the Cardinals score in three plays and continued their momentum from the first half.

By the numbers, the running game seemed better than in previous weeks. Emari Demercardo must have gained back some trust from the coaching staff as he saw 14 carries for 79 yards, an impressive 5.6 yards per carry.

These numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. The run blocking from the offensive line was not noticeably better and some of the improved run game can likely be attributed to facing a porous Dallas defense.

In fact, the biggest reason the offense did not earn an A this week was because of the opponent. The Cowboys have given up the fourth most rushing yards and the most receiving yards in the National Football league this season.

They will face a much tougher opponent next week on the road in Seattle and a repeat performance of this caliber will 1) imbue a modicum of hope in the fanbase and 2) lead to the toughest decision this coaching staff has faced to date; who will be the starting quarterback for the rest of 2025?

Defense - A-

The Cardinals defense showed up in a massive way on Monday night. All three levels of this unit put up what is probably their best, most complete performance of the season.

The defensive line managed five sacks for the first time this season. Josh Sweat was a force from the first drive, sacking Dak Prescott on a key fourth down and preventing an early score. Calais Campbell also makes a great case for most ageless player in the league, contributing with two sacks of his own.

Rookie DT Walter Nolen made his pro debut and impressed. A sack, batted pass, tackle for loss, and four combined tackles gives hope that his impact will continue to be felt throughout the rest of the season as he gains experience.

The return of slot cornerback Garrett Williams was palpable. It has been clear that he is a special player but it was impressive how well the entire secondary seemed to perform with him back in the lineup.

Rookie Denzel Burke had a remarkable performance after coming in to replace Max Melton who left with a concussion. Burke picked off Prescott to seal the game and is the second Cardinals rookie cornerback to grade above a 90 this year, joining Will Johnson who accomplished that in Week One.

Avoiding the fourth quarter collapse was the single biggest thing that this defense needed to do this week and, back at close to full health, they managed to keep one of the best offenses in the NFL to only 10 points.

Special Teams - C+

This game would look even more impressive if a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown was stricken from the record.

Greg Dortch had a decent night as a returner totaling over 100 yards on four kick returns and a punt return.

Otherwise, kicker Chad Ryland did his job and made both field goal attempts.