2 Winners & 5 Losers During Cowboys Ridiculous Loss to Cardinals in Week 8

The Dallas Cowboys are now 1-9 in their last 10 meetings with the Arizona Cardinals, but this one might have been the most inexcusable loss of the series.

Dallas had a 17-3 lead going into halftime and extended that to 24-10 early in the fourth quarter. Then, they suddenly forgot how to play. They allowed the Cardinals to score 20 points in the final quarter and even failed to capitalize after their defense forced a three-and-out in overtime. In the end, the Cardinals hit a late field goal, escaping with a shocking 33-30 victory.

While the front office wrestles with whether this 3-5 team is salvageable, we can look back at this ridiculous loss and see who stood out as both winners and losers for the Cowboys.

Winner: Shemar James Sr., LB

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Shemar James makes a tackle on Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Over the past couple of weeks, Shemar James Sr. has been a more prominent figure in the Dallas defense, and he continues to take advantage. The new green-dot linebacker has been making his presence known and came up with a big turnover on Sunday when he picked off a pass from Jacoby Brissett.

The ball was intended for Elijah Higgins, but was low. As Higgins attempted to make a play, the ball bounced off his hands and landed in the arms of James, who returned it to the Arizona five, setting up the first touchdown of the game.

Winner: James Mitchell, TE

Dallas Cowboys tight end James Mitchell recovers a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Luke Schoonmaker wasn't able to play in Week 8, and that allowed James Mitchell to play his first game of the year. He was asked to do more when Jake Ferguson had to leave early due to injury. Mitchell made an impact play when Javonte Williams fumbled the ball at the goal line, which was almost a disaster. They were saved by Mitchell, who landed on the loose ball in the end zone, scoring a touchdown in the process.

Loser: Tyler Booker, G

Dallas Cowboys guard Tyler Booker reacts after the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

George Pickens was held without a catch in the first half and seemed ready to change that on the opening drive in the third quarter in a major way. Pickens took a pass from Prescott 59 yards for a touchdown, but the play didn't count. Tyler Booker was called for holding, which negated the big play. Overall, Booker played well, but this is a play he will want back.

Loser: DaRon Bland, CB

Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland breaks up a pass intended for Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Reggie Virgil. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Even with Joey Porter Jr. on this roster, the Cowboys' highest-paid cornerback is DaRon Bland, but he continues to let them down. Arizona was dead in the water in this one until Gardner Minshew began targeting Bland on one play after another.

While Bland wasn't the one to give up the touchdown to Michael Wilson at the end of the fourth quarter, Bland was beaten multiple times by Wilson. His inability to come up with a stop allowed Arizona to force overtime in a game that should have been an easy win for Dallas.

Loser: Christian Parker, Defensive Coordinator

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker at training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Christian Parker seemed to find something early in this game as the Cowboys were up 17-3. Then, everything fell apart.

Arizona scored 27 points in the second half before hitting the game-winning field goal in overtime. There was no excuse to lose this one and much of the loss falls on Parker, who had no answers for Gardner Minshew and Tyler Allgeier, which isn't exactly an offensive powerhouse.

Loser: Brian Schottenheimer, Head Coach

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer on the sidelines against the Arizona Cardinals. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As bad as Parker was in this game, the Cowboys had a chance to win it in overtime. After forcing a three-and-out, the offense had the ball at their own 29 yard line. Brian Schottenheimer, who boldly called himself a great play-caller recently, managed to lose five yards on three plays before punting it away.

That was the second time the high-powered Dallas offense had a chance to win the game and lost yards. They also recovered an onside kick in the fourth quarter, but went backward and had to settle for a field goal, making it a 30-24 game. Schottenheimer is supposed to be a great offensive mind, but he couldn't pull this one out, despite having multiple opportunities to do so.

Loser: Dak Prescott, QB

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While his coaching staff did nothing to help him, this was another game where Dak Prescott was unable to come up with a clutch play at the end. While things weren't going their way, the $60 million quarterback had the ball in his hands in overtime and only needed a field goal to win.

He couldn't pick up any yardage, however, throwing an incompletion on second down followed by a sack on third down. The best quarterbacks in the game make plays when it matters most, which is something Prescott hasn't done consistently this season.

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