Cardinals Offense Sputters, Defeat Cowboys 12-7
By Scott Allen
August 17, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back Rashard Mendenhall (28) runs the ball against Dallas Cowboys during the first half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
It wasn’t pretty. At least on offense it wasn’t. Still, the Arizona Cardinals, aided by six defensive turnovers, defeated the Dallas Cowboys 12-7 Saturday afternoon at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cards offense, which was able to move the ball at times, struggled mightily in the red zone and was only able to score 12 points on four field goals.
The story today was the defense. The forced five Cowboys turnovers alone in the first half. However neither Carson Palmer or Drew Stanton were able to get the ball in the end zone. They both had nice plays at times in between the 20’s. There were mental errors though that cost the team when it came time to try to punch it over the goal line.
Stanton came the closest. However late in the first half he overthrew running back Stepfan Taylor over the middle on a short pass and the Cards ended up with nothing. Thanks to a quick turnover after that the Cards were able to punch a field goal in to go into halftime up 9-0.
There were some individuals who stood out for their performances on offense, such as receiver Kerry Taylor, who appears to now be the front runner for the fourth receiver slot. Running back Rashard Mendenhall also ran the ball well in his limited action. Receiver Jaron Brown also made another couple of great grabs.
Cards head coach Bruce Arians also was disappointed in that only scoring nine points off of the five first-half turnovers. He called it “ridiculous”. I don’t blame him at all. A team should be able to convert some of those into touchdowns and not just field goals. Clearly the Cardinals have something to work on this week in practice.
The Cards now go 2-0 in the preseason. Their next preseason game is next Saturday night at home against the San Diego Chargers.