The Dallas Cowboys did not lose a single game in December, but their four-game winning streak ended with the first game of 2022 against the Arizona Cardinals. The Cowboys lost by a final score of 25-22.
A missed field goal in the first quarter and a costly fumble in the fourth doomed the Cowboys’ chances to collect the win and improve their standings heading into the final week of the regular season.
The Cowboys’ first drive of the day stalled after a holding penalty against Tyron Smith on third-and-four that pushed Dallas back ten yards. The Cardinals’ ensuing drive went 83 yards in 10 plays, highlighted by a 24-yard run on first down and a 42-yard pass completion from quarterback Kyler Murray that led to a field goal and the first points of the game.
Cowboys’ placekicker Greg Zuerlein missed his sixth field goal of the season on the next drive. The kick was from 43-yards and sailed wide to the right. As they have done throughout much of the season, the Cowboys’ defense clamped down and forced Arizona to punt despite excellent starting field positions.
A Cardinals touchdown in the second quarter gave Arizona a 10-0 lead before quarterback Dak Prescott, and the Cowboys’ offense had an opportunity to score.
The Cowboys’ first touchdown of the day came at a huge cost. Receiver Michael Gallup caught a 21-yard pass from Prescott but turned awkwardly as he extended into the endzone. Gallup went to the ground and had to be helped from the field by training staff following the touchdown.
The Cowboys announced after the game that Gallup likely tore his ACL, an injury that will end his season. The team expects to have more information pending an MRI scheduled for Monday. Gallup has been a key part of the Cowboys’ passing game since his Week 10 return from a calf strain suffered in Week 1. He has a total of 35 receptions for 445 yards in only nine games this season.
Following the injury, the Cowboys’ offense sputtered, and the defense gave up 12 points before Dallas could narrow the lead with a third-quarter touchdown pass to Cedric Wilson from 2-yards out. The score gave Arizona a 22-14 lead as the game clock ticked into the final quarter.
The Dallas defense stepped up once again, forcing a punt from Arizona after only six plays on the first Cardinals drive of the fourth quarter, giving the Cowboys offense the ball and an opportunity to take the lead with a touchdown. Three plays later, Prescott attempted to evade pressure from the Cardinals’ defense but lost the football as he tried to move forward. The ball took a fortuitous bounce but landed directly in the hands of the Cardinals’ defense.
Arizona needed only five plays and nine yards to put kicker Matt Prater in position to kick a field goal that gave the Cardinals a two-score lead with only eight-and-a-half minutes to play. The Cowboys’ offense took advantage of a trick play involving a lateral pass from Prescott to Wilson, who then launched a bomb to a streaking Tony Pollard for a 31-yard gain on first down.
Three plays later, Prescott found receiver Amari Cooper for a four-yard touchdown and followed it up with a successful two-point conversion, but it would prove to be the last opportunity the Cowboys had on the day. Arizona managed to run out the clock and pick up the win.
The Cowboys will face the Philadelphia Eagles in the last game of the season. Both the Eagles and the Cowboys have clinched playoff berths, but the game will have a significant impact on the NFC team’s final positioning heading into wildcard weekend.
