The Arizona Cardinals atoned for their Week 2 meltdown vs. the New York Giants, shocking the Dallas Cowboys in a 28-16 win. Nobody, not even optimists like myself, saw this one coming, given how much the Cowboys dominated their first two opponents by a score of 70-10.
Once again, the Cardinals started off hot, and they did just enough in the second half to secure a two-score win. Quarterback Joshua Dobbs was nothing short of phenomenal, completing 17 of 21 passes for 189 yards, a touchdown, and a 120.0 passer rating.
James Conner was once again the lifeblood of the Cardinals offense, rushing for 98 yards on 14 carries, and an astounding 7.0 yards per rush. Dobbs also added an additional 55 rushing yards on six carries for 9.2 yards per.
Arizona Cardinals win first game of 2023 season vs. one of the NFL’s best
But the real story today was how the Cardinals as a team came together, put last week’s loss behind them, and held on to defeat Dallas. Once the second half kicked off, the Redbirds once again experienced some turbulence, but they didn’t allow the momentum to shift the way it did in Week 2.
We knew the Cardinals knew how to build a lead, but they also couldn’t hold that lead. They climbed another rung on the ladder in today’s big win, building a two-possession lead in the first 30 minutes of the game before they held onto win by a pair of possessions.
The Cards showed the NFL that they could hang with anyone. No, they probably aren’t going to win a lot of games this year, but they will at least make things interesting if they stay relatively healthy. Now, it’s time to try and build off of this momentum and head onto the next one.
(Statistics provided by ESPN.com)