Cardinals’ loss to Cowboys had quite the familiar feel

GLENDALE, Ariz. — It wasn’t exactly déjà vu, but man, did what we saw Monday night at University of Phoenix Stadium feel familiar.

The Arizona Cardinals started quickly, sputtered in the middle and folded late in a 28-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in front of 65,102 fans and an audience of millions on Monday Night Football.

Carson Palmer led the Cardinals (1-2) to a score on their first drive — an efficient eight-play, 82-yard jaunt that ended in a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jaron Brown.

Arizona’s defense forced a Dallas three-and-out and then methodically moved down the field again. On 3rd-and-5 from the Dallas 10-yard line, Palmer hooked up with Brown again, except this one wouldn’t count. A holding penalty on right tackle Jared Veldheer wiped out the play, and the Cardinals had to settle for a field goal attempt from Phil Dawson.

What should have been a 36-yard consolation prize turned into a big pile of nothing as Dawson missed wide right — his third miss in as many weeks and a match of his total of misses from last season.

Missed opportunity.

The Cowboys (2-1) went three-and-out again and Dallas punter Chris Jones uncorked a 29-yard punt that gave the Cardinals possession at their own 44. They didn’t do anything with it.

In fact, Arizona would manage only 19 yards in its next four possessions. You couldn’t expect Dallas to dilly-dally all night long offensively, and it didn’t.

On a 3rd-and-1 from the Cowboys’ own 15-yard line, a blitzing Tyrann Mathieu missed a tackle on Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, who escaped and uncorked a 30-yard run. The drive ultimately led to nothing on the scoreboard but woke the dormant Dallas offense up. They’d get on the scoreboard with 1:16 to go in the first half on an acrobatic running touchdown from quarterback Dak Prescott.

In a half they thoroughly dominated, the Cardinals went to the locker room at halftime tied 7-7.

Missed opportunity.

The teams traded scores in the third quarter. Prescott hit Dez Bryant on a 15-yard touchdown on which the receiver dragged a gaggle of Arizona defenders over the goal line to give the Cowboys their first lead. Five minutes and 18 seconds later, Palmer delivered his second picturesque touchdown pass of the game, this one to Larry Fitzgerald from 15 yards out to tie the game at 14-14.

Then the familiar theme of allowing touchdowns in the fourth quarter — as happened in the Cardinals’ season-opening loss to Detroit — popped up again. Prescott hit Brice Butler, who beat cornerback Justin Bethel, on a 37-yard strike with 11:52 to play.

Dawson connected on a 37-yard field goal to pull the Cardinals to within four at 21-17, but the Prescott-to-Butler connection struck again on a 53-yard pass that set up Elliott’s 8-yard touchdown to ice the game for Dallas with just under five minutes to play.

Another familiar issue was present all night — Arizona’s inability to protect Palmer or open up holes for backs in the running game. Palmer was sacked six times — three alone by DeMarcus Lawrence, who feasted on the right side of the Cardinals’ offensive line manned by guard Evan Boehm and Veldheer.

Palmer, who posted impressive statistics nonetheless (29-of-48 for 322 yards and two TDs), pinned much of the blame on himself.

“A couple of times, I didn’t get the ball out early or get the ball out fast,” he said. “That is a front you want to get the ball out fast on. You don’t want to be in situations where you are just holding it and holding it.

“There was a number of times where I got to the third and fourth read and they did a great job. There were also times that I just held on to it too long.”

Yes, there were a couple of times Palmer was culpable, but he can’t continue to a) take the physical punishment he endured Monday and b) cover for a patchwork, ineffective line.

“Block better,” a direct Bruce Arians said after the game when asked what the line needs to do to improve. When asked if that was possible, he was direct again.

“There ain’t nobody else in there, we’ve only got seven guys that are healthy so they’re the only ones who could play.”

The Cardinals played without guard Mike Iupati and tackle D.J. Humphries and lost guard Alex Boone late in the contest with an injury. Daniel Munyer finished up at left guard for Boone. If Iupati, Humphries and Boone are unable to go Sunday against San Francisco, Munyer would likely become the Cardinals’ eighth different starting lineman in four games.

That’s not exactly a recipe for success.

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