The Arizona Cardinals erased a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit and a 10-point deficit in the final two minutes to defeat the Dallas Cowboys 33-30 in overtime on Sunday, Nov. 1, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew replaced starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett in the third quarter to lead the Cardinals vs Cowboys comeback, and kicker Chad Ryland hit a 42-yard field goal on Arizona’s second overtime possession to seal the Week 8 win.
The loss drops Dallas to 3-5 on the 2026 season and lifts Arizona to 3-5. According to NFL.com, Arizona benched Brissett for Minshew with Dallas leading 17-3 in the third quarter. Minshew completed 17 of 23 passes (73.9%) for 188 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 137.3 passer rating. Cardinals running back Tyler Allgeier carried the ball 11 times for a career-high 147 yards (13.4 yards per carry), picking up 143 of those yards after halftime, and added a 5-yard touchdown reception.
Arizona outgained Dallas 467 total yards to 261 and rushed for 202 yards at 7.5 yards per carry, while the Cowboys managed 93 rushing yards on 39 attempts (2.4 yards per carry). Quarter-by-quarter, Arizona scored 0, 3, 7, 20 and 3 in overtime, while Dallas put up 7, 7, 3, 13 and 0 in the extra period. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott finished 19 of 29 (65.5%) for 195 yards and a 9-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Flournoy for a 96.2 passer rating, along with a 5-yard rushing touchdown.
How Gardner Minshew and 5 Overlooked Plays Turned the Game
In a postgame breakdown for DallasCowboys.com, the team’s digital media staff identified five plays, plus one final regulation miss, that swung the game toward Arizona.
1. Joey Porter Jr.’s Penalty and Injury
Late in the second quarter with Dallas ahead 14-0, the Cowboys stopped Arizona for a three-yard gain on third-and-13, setting up an apparent punt. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was flagged for defensive holding on the play and went down awkwardly before heading straight to the sideline. He rotated in and out of the lineup for the rest of the afternoon before exiting for good during Arizona’s late scoring drives. The penalty extended the Cardinals’ drive, allowing them to burn two more minutes off the clock and kick a 37-yard field goal.
2. A Conservative Call Before Halftime
Dallas held a 14-3 lead with 11 seconds left in the second quarter and a timeout in hand after linebacker DeMarvion Overshown forced a fumble by Cardinals running back Bam Knight and defensive lineman LT Overton recovered it at the Arizona 47-yard line. Rather than throwing to gain closer range for kicker Brandon Aubrey, the Cowboys handed off to Javonte Williams up the middle for four yards. Aubrey then missed the resulting 61-yard field goal attempt to the right.
3. Tyler Allgeier’s Quick 63-Yard Touchdown
Leading 17-3 with 1:35 remaining in the third quarter, Dallas had a chance to force a long, clock-draining drive when Arizona took over at its own 30-yard line with Minshew entering at quarterback. On second down, Allgeier broke free for a 63-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 17-10. Scoring in two plays instead of taking four or five minutes off the clock let the Cardinals keep their regular offensive game plan intact entering the fourth quarter.
4. Rashan Gary’s Roughing Penalty
With Dallas up 27-17 and 2:23 left in regulation, an incomplete deep pass into the end zone on third-and-10 appeared to set up a fourth-and-10 for Arizona. However, Rashan Gary was flagged for an unnecessary helmet-to-helmet hit on Minshew. The penalty gave the Cardinals an automatic first down at the 14-yard line, and tight end Trey McBride caught a 14-yard touchdown pass on the very next snap with 2:12 remaining. Scoring before the two-minute warning saved Arizona critical clock stoppages, leaving the Cardinals with 1:09 when they got the ball back later instead of roughly 30 seconds.
5. Playing It Safe at the Two-Minute Warning
After Dallas recovered Arizona’s onside kick and reached second down at the Cardinals’ 20-yard line with 2:02 on the clock, the Cowboys lined up in a run formation and ran play-action, where Prescott took a safe sack. Because the two-minute warning was set to stop the clock regardless of an incomplete pass, Dallas could have spread the field to throw for a first down. Prescott said afterward that he wished the offense could have had that series back and been more aggressive, as Dallas settled for a field goal and a 30-24 lead.
Bonus: The Missed Pass to Brevyn Spann-Ford
After Minshew drove Arizona 80 yards in eight plays over 63 seconds (hitting completions of 14, 21 and 27 yards before finding Michael Wilson for a 13-yard touchdown with six seconds left), Ryland missed the potential game-winning extra point wide left, his first missed extra point in two years. Tied 30-30 with six seconds remaining and a timeout, Prescott found tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford open over the middle at the Dallas 49-yard line. Spann-Ford went low for the catchable throw but could not bring it in, costing Dallas a chance to call timeout with one second left for a 69- or 70-yard field goal attempt by Aubrey.
Turnovers, Sacks and Week 8 Injuries
Dallas built its early 14-0 lead behind two first-half takeaways and five sacks of Arizona’s quarterbacks, compared to one sack by the Cardinals, according to Roundtable.io. Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams recorded two sacks, seven tackles and two tackles for loss, giving him five sacks across his last five games. Linebacker Shemar James intercepted Brissett in the first half to set up Dallas’s opening score, which came when tight end James Mitchell, called up from the practice squad on Saturday for his season debut, recovered a Javonte Williams fumble in the end zone.
Both rosters lost offensive starters during the game alongside other Week 8 NFL injuries across the league. Cardinals running backs Jeremiyah Love (right ankle) and Bam Knight both left the game with injuries, leaving Allgeier as Arizona’s lone healthy running back for the second-half rally, while Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson also suffered an ankle injury.