Cowboys Country

Cowboys defense gets ripped by Cardinals player with NSFW insult on national TV

The Dallas Cowboys' defense is hard to watch, but their opponents enjoy facing them.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett celebrates scoring a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett celebrates scoring a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Stop me if you've heard this one before: the Dallas Cowboys are struggling on defense in their latest game.

Despite facing a 2-5 Arizona Cardinals team that's playing backups at quarterback and running back, the Cowboys are being bullied in their home stadium. At the half, the Cardinals are up 17-7, with a special teams touchdown being the only score for Dallas.

MORE: Dallas Cowboys' special teams saves team from embarrassing first half

Arizona has dominated on the ground and through the air, starting out with a 15-play drive that covered 60 yards and ended with a field goal. The Cardinals finished the first half with another crushing drive, going 74 yards on 11 plays to go up by 10 at the break.

As if the score wasn't embarrassing enough, the Cowboys also had to endure an insult from the Cardinals that's not safe for work. After capping off their final drive of the half, a microphone on the ESPN broadcast picked up a player saying the Dallas defense is making it too easy.

To highlight how bad things are, the Cowboys allowed Jacoby Brissett to score his first rushing touchdown since 2022, when he was with the Cleveland Browns. They also gave up six receptions to Marvin Harrison Jr., which ties his career high.


Is the Dallas Cowboys' defense salvageable?

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. reacts in the first half against the Dallas Cowboys.
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. reacts in the first half against the Dallas Cowboys. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Leading up to Tuesday's NFL trade deadline, the Cowboys have been rumored to be in the mix for defensive help. The only question is whether this defense is salvageable.

Watching the secondary give up one long third-down catch after another is frustrating, and it's hard to see how a single move would help improve this situation.

There are so many holes at all three levels that Dallas might not be able to do much, even if they land a Pro Bowl-caliber player. That's not to say they shouldn't explore all options, but expectations need to be tempered no matter what happens after this game.

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Randy Gurzi
RANDY GURZI

Randy Gurzi is a graduate of Arizona State and has focused on NFL coverage since 2014.