For the second straight week, the Dallas Cowboys fell in the preseason this time to the Arizona Cardinals 19-16. Like last week we share our four biggest takeaways from tonight’s game.
Mistakes, Mistakes, Mistakes
From Connor Williams botched snaps to offsides to late hits if there were a penalty odds are it was on Dallas. Williams started the game at center an experiment by Dallas trying to find a backup had a rough outing botching two snaps putting quarterback Garrett Gilbert in bad situations. Breakout running back Rico Dowdell also had a fumble resulting in Cardinals points. These must be cleaned up moving forward.
Strong Defensive Outing
Defensive end Dorance Armstrong led a strong first-half charge for the Cowboys’ defense as they notched three sacks and lived in the backfield. Despite penalties negating a couple, the unit finished with around five a big increase from last week. There were several good plays by Armstrong and rookies Osa Odighizuwa and Quinton Bohana. Fellow rookies Israel Mukuamu and Nahshon Wright had good games in coverage while Jabril Cox made some nice tackles as well. One downside was the injury to defensive tackle Neville Gallimore who left with a lower arm injury.
Dowdle Flashes Again
For the second straight week, the second-year back from South Carolina impressed again despite an early fumble. Dowdle has shown the ability to run with power and catch the ball out of the backfield. He made the roster last season as the third back and looks to be making a case to hold on to the position. Keep an eye out for rookie JaQuan Hardy a stocky 5 foot 10 inch 225 pound back out of Tiffin University in Ohio. He had some nice runs tonight and has the makings of a solid power back.
Cowboys Finally Hit Paydirt
A fourth-quarter connection from quarterback Ben DiNucci to receiver Brandon Smith an undrafted rookie from Iowa marked the first touchdown of the preseason. DiNucci did a solid job in the second half moving the offense and outplayed Cooper Rush. The battle for the third-string position should be a good battle to watch.
