Jacoby Brissett had a stock answer ready when asked if he’s done enough to be more than just the fill-in for Kyler Murray. Coach Jonathan Gannon barely had one at all. The Arizona Cardinals will sort out that quarterback question later. For now, they’ll savor the feeling of victory again.
Brissett threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Cardinals snapped a five-game losing streak with a 27-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football. It marked Arizona’s first victory in nearly six weeks — and just their second in the past 18 games without Murray taking at least five snaps.
The 32-year-old Brissett, making his third straight start with Murray still sidelined by a foot injury, was sharp once again. He completed 21 of 31 passes for 261 yards and no interceptions, guiding the Cardinals (3-5) to their most complete performance since Week 2.
“This group never stopped fighting,” Brissett said. “We knew we were close in a lot of these games. Tonight, we just finished.”
The Cowboys (3-5-1) appeared ready to ride early momentum when defensive end Sam Williams blocked a punt that rookie Marshawn Kneeland recovered in the end zone for a touchdown, cutting Arizona’s early lead to 10-7.
But that jolt didn’t last. The Cardinals responded with long touchdown drives on their next two possessions — one to close the first half, and another to open the second — stretching the margin to 24-7.
Arizona averaged 10.8 yards per play on those two drives, sparked by consecutive 16-yard passes following the Cowboys’ special teams score and a 50-yard catch-and-run by receiver Michael Wilson to set up another touchdown.
Tight end Trey McBride hauled in a 12-yard scoring pass, while rookie star Marvin Harrison Jr. set the tone early with a 4-yard touchdown grab and a career-high seven catches for 96 yards.
Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense had their chances but couldn’t capitalize. Dallas reached the Arizona 7-yard line on its opening possession, only for Prescott to be sacked on fourth down by Josh Sweat — one of five Cardinals sacks on the night.
Veteran defensive end Calais Campbell added two sacks of his own in his 250th career regular-season game, a milestone that coincided with one of Arizona’s most disciplined defensive efforts of the season.
Dallas managed just three points on its first three trips inside the Arizona 25-yard line, a glaring reason for the 17-point fourth-quarter deficit. Prescott threw for 219 yards with one touchdown — a 5-yard toss to rookie Ryan Flournoy in the final quarter for his first career score — but the offense sputtered much of the night.
A potential comeback ended when running back Javonte Williams lost a fumble with less than five minutes left, ripped out by safety Jalen Thompson. The Cowboys also failed to convert on all three of their fourth-down tries.
“Execution in key moments — we didn’t have it,” Dallas coach Brian Schottenheimer said after his team lost consecutive games for the first time this season. “We have to finish drives, plain and simple.”
The Cardinals began the week hopeful that Murray might return from his two-game absence, especially given his unblemished 9-0 record at AT&T Stadium — a run that includes state championships as a high school quarterback, two Big 12 titles with Oklahoma, and two NFL wins over the Cowboys.
But Murray wasn’t quite ready, according to Gannon, so Arizona again turned to Brissett — and he delivered.
In three games as starter, Brissett has totaled 860 yards, six touchdowns, and just one interception, providing steady leadership to a team that had lost its previous five games by a combined 13 points.
“Jacoby’s leadership has been huge,” Gannon said. “He’s calm, he’s efficient, and the guys respond to him. We’ll make decisions about next week when we need to — right now, we’re going to enjoy this one.”
The Cowboys nearly added a historic moment before halftime when kicker Brandon Aubrey attempted a 68-yard field goal — a potential tie of the NFL record set just a day earlier by Jacksonville’s Cam Little. Aubrey’s kick had the distance but sailed wide left, symbolizing Dallas’ frustrating night.
Cardinals: At Seattle on Sunday. Cowboys: Bye week before traveling to Las Vegas for another Monday Night Football matchup on Nov. 17.
Brissett may not know whether he’s keeping the job beyond this week. But on a night when the Cardinals needed stability, he gave them exactly that — and a long-awaited win to go with it.
