ARIZONA CARDINALS 33, DALLAS COWBOYS 30 (OT) - Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions continued their winning ways, while the Kansas City Chiefs suffered a heartbreaking loss, and the Arizona Cardinals handed the Cowboys their latest upset defeat.
ARLINGTON, Texas - The Dallas Cowboys squandered a 98% win probability in a stunning 33-30 overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, prompting owner Jerry Jones to once again face questions about coaching stability.
The Cardinals' backup quarterback Gardner Minshew engineered the game-winning drive after replacing the benched Jacoby Brissett in the second half. Dallas appeared in control throughout regulation but could not capitalize in overtime, running three plays that moved backward five yards from the goal line.
"That's not in my mind at this time," Jones said of firing coach Brian Schottenheimer. "I made a change and I don't want to mention it because I'm not proud of it. But I made a change with Wade Phillips there in the middle of the season and I don't see that here."
The Cowboys' offense, which had been productive all day, stalled completely when it mattered most. On their only overtime drive, they could not move the ball against a Cardinals defense that had been depleted by injuries.
"We had a possession where all we needed was a field goal to win it," said Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. "We couldn't move the ball."
In Detroit, Jared Goff and the Lions defeated the previously undefeated Minnesota Vikings, with Goff ranking sixth-best in the NFL against pressure this season, a significant improvement from earlier criticism. The Lions' offensive line was praised for protecting Goff effectively against aggressive Viking blitzes.
"The Minnesota defense was able to pressure Goff on only three of his 25 dropbacks," noted analysts. "That was despite the fact that the Vikings blitzed on almost 90% of the Lions' passing plays."
In Denver, the Kansas City Chiefs lost 28-24 to the Broncos despite reaching the 1-yard line with 32 seconds remaining and one timeout. The Chiefs ran three plays from the goal line without attempting a QB sneak, a play they haven't used since 2019 when Patrick Mahomes suffered a dislocated patellar tendon on such a play.
"It seems overcompensatory to have avoided the play entirely for the past seven years," said one analyst. "You don't have to run the Tush Push. You can just run a QB sneak. Mahomes can run it."
The Arizona Cardinals also secured a 16-0 shutout over the Atlanta Falcons, with backup quarterback Baker Mayfield completing zero of his three pass attempts. The Buccaneers set a franchise record with 925 rushing yards over their past four games, the first team to win by double digits without completing a pass since the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Chicago Cardinals 23-0 in 1945.
Denver Broncos rookie running back Jonah Coleman had a breakthrough performance with a 51-yard reception and a 5-yard touchdown run, leading the team in both rushing and receiving yards with two touchdowns.
The Cowboys (3-5) fall further in the playoff hunt, now with a 33% shot at making the playoffs per Next Gen Stats. The loss extends the organization's pattern of late-season collapses that has become almost synonymous with the franchise.
"It's getting easier for Jones to justify the removal of coach Brian Schottenheimer," one analyst noted. "It's just that Jones is in no hurry to make a change."
The Cardinals improve to 3-5 on the season, keeping them in the hunt for the NFC South division title.
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(This is a news article written in AP/Reuters style, combining information from multiple sources about Sunday's NFL games.)
