It’s just sloppy. If we’re gonna go down, we’re gonna go down swinging and swinging the right way.”

Mike LaFleur, Arizona Cardinals Head Coach, on his team's penalties

SCORING SUMMARY

DAL — J. Milton pass short left to M. Davis for 8 yards, TOUCHDOWN. B. Aubrey extra point is GOOD, 6:33 - 1st

DAL — J. Milton pass deep left to J. Mingo for 53 yards, TOUCHDOWN. B. Aubrey extra point is GOOD, 3:43 - 1st

ARI — C. Ryland 38-yard field goal GOOD, 13:11 - 2nd

DAL — J. Milton up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. B. Aubrey extra point is GOOD, 11:14 - 2nd

DAL — J. Milton up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. B. Aubrey extra point is GOOD, 11:14 - 2nd

ARI — C. Ryland 31-yard field goal is GOOD, 3:37 - 2nd

DAL — B. Aubrey 50-yard field goal is GOOD, 0:36 - 2nd

ARI — C .Kiner left tackle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. C. Ryland extra point is GOOD, 8:47 - 3rd

DAL — B. Aubrey 29-yard field goal is GOOD, 1:55 - 3rd

DAL — P. Mafah left end for 15 yards, TOUCHDOWN. B. Aubrey extra point is GOOD, 2:05 - 4th

By Zev Black
Mail

GLENDALE — With most starters sitting out awaiting the start of the NFL regular season, the Arizona Cardinals fell to the Dallas Cowboys 34-13 in their lone preseason home game Saturday night at State Farm Stadium.

The Cardinals couldn't get much going offensively and, when they did, commited untimely penalties.

“You can’t have penalties anywhere,” Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur said postgame. “No penalties in two minute situations. But it’s like, no you can’t. You don’t want penalties ever, for 60 minutes. That’s good versus bad football … If we have one, that’s one too many.”

The Cowboys, led by quarterback Joe Milton III, opened the game by marching down the field with an even attack through the air and on the ground. However, their drive stalled when they reached the redzone thanks to a 4th-down stop on the 12-yard line.

They got it right back three plays later when Cardinals WR Simi Fehoko fell to the ground on a comeback route leading to a Gardner Minshew II interception.

Dallas converted immediately with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Milton to RB Malik Davis.

After a Cardinals three-and-out, Milton III showed why he was given the highest rated arm strength in Madden ‘27 with a 53-yard bomb to WR Jonathan Mingo, doubling Dallas’s lead to 14-0.

In need of points, Arizona put together its first strong drive of the game, resulting in a 38-yard field goal off the right foot of Chad Ryland.

The Cardinals may have gotten more if not for two separate touchdown-nullifying penalties. The Redbirds finished the game with eight penalties for 63 yards.

“There were a lot of mental mistakes,” Fehoko said. “Things that we could’ve figured out ourselves. It was on us. They weren’t doing anything in particular that was messing us up.”

On their next drive, the Cowboys needed just four plays to score once again, highlighted by a 70-yard pass to Camden Brown. Milton III then executed the QB draw perfectly and waltzed into the endzone to put Dallas up 21-3.

The Cardinals ensuing possession was their best of the first half, though it didn’t end in seven points. QB Minshew II looked poised in the pocket, completing multiple throws for more than 10 yards and RB Corey Kiner provided strong support on the ground.

However, when the team got down to the 1-yard line, Kiner committed a false start, pushing the offense back five yards. Pass protection then collapsed on the following play, resulting in an eight-yard sack and forcing Arizona to try a 31-yard field goal. Ryland converted the kick, making the score 21-6.

“It’s just sloppy,” LaFleur said about the penalties. “If we’re gonna go down, we’re gonna do down swinging and swinging the right way. Good learning ops though. I know that.”

LaFleur said the way to erase some of these mistakes is by continuing to talk about them and showing the consequences.

Brandon Aubrey and the Cowboys answered with a field goal of their own and the Cardinals found themselves down 24-6 at half.

With Arizona having not found the endzone in the first half, Minshew II stayed in the game for the first drive of the second half. The offense methodically marched down the field in 12 plays, resulting in a one-yard touchdown run for Kiner — the only touchdown the Cardinals scored in the game.

“He kept the ball in play,” LaFleur said about Minshew II's performance. “I thought he did a good job.”

After another field goal for the Cowboys and another punt for the Cardinals, Dallas found themselves deep into Arizona territory.

Sam Howell, who took over at quarterback for Dallas, tried to find WR Anthony Smith in the back of the endzone. However, safety Isaiah Oliver had other plans, reading Howell’s eyes perfectly and ranging over for the redzone interception.

The Cardinals next drive didn’t go anywhere and, with the Cowboys converting on a short field, Dallas left town with a 21-point preseason win.

LaFleur said this game was the culmination of a “sloppy week” of practice.

“I don’t think we’ve practiced really well over the last week since Vegas,” he said. “I think there have been individuals that have practiced well. I think there’s been times where we’ve done some good things, but overall it was not good enough and I thought tonight was a summary of that week in general.”

Minshew II finished the game 19-for-23 for 177 yards and an interception. RB Evan Hull paced the Cardinals in both rushing attempts and yards with 11 and 51, respectively. Fehoko was the leading receiver with 42 yards.

The Cardinals next take the field at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28 in Green Bay against the Packers. Their regular season opener is 1:25 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13 on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Reporter Zev Black can be reached at zblack@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.