The Cardinals beat the Cowboys on Monday, and the questions around the team are just not stopping. Their form has reignited questions over the America’s Team label for Jerry Jones’ Cowboys. The latest to raise questions against Dallas was Arizona’s first-round pick, who felt America’s Team wasn’t America’s Team.

“That’s all I know how to do it play fast and violent, which I feel like I brought to the defense this week, and I’m gonna continue to do it every week,” said Walter Nolen. “It’s gonna get better every week.” 

During the game, the Arizona Cardinals’ front seven set the tempo by pressuring quarterback Dak Prescott, collapsing the run game, and forcing Dallas into stalled drives. Rookie interior lineman Walter Nolen was one of the standout performers on the night.

His sack on 1st and 10 at the Arizona 35 pushed the Cowboys back by 6, resulting in a 2nd and 16. He had four tackles (three solo), one sack, and two tackles for loss on his first NFL appearance, playing 37 defensive snaps. This led to kind words from DL Calais Campbell about the performance.

“He’s just an explosive player, he has really good instincts.” 

On Monday night, Dallas gained 333 total yards, yet managed only 10 offensive points. Arizona’s defense held the Cowboys to just 33% red-zone efficiency and sacked their quarterback five times. They went zero-for-three on fourth-down attempts, lost two fumbles inside Arizona’s territory, and couldn’t convert inside the red zone. The Cowboys abandoned their efficient ground game (5.9 yards per carry) when trailing and forced the issue through the air, allowing Arizona’s rush defense to pin their ears back. 

The Cardinals converted 54% of third-downs and dominated time of possession at 33:20. A moment that stood out during the game, signaling the Cowboys’ struggles, was at 00:49 in the second quarter. Jacoby Brissett pierced through the defense for a sneak touchdown to take his team ahead 17-7. Brissett exclaimed on the field after scoring the touchdown:

“It’s so f***** easy. It’s just so f***** easy.” 

All in all, Dallas’ performance in the game didn’t reflect that of the classic ‘America’s Team’ label they’d once earned.

‘America’s Team’ is struggling to live up to the label

The Cowboys earned the ‘America’s Team’ nickname in the late 1970s during their dominant era under coach Tom Landry. Back then, they won five Super Bowls from 1972 – 1996 and captured significant media attention. Currently, however, their performances fail to align with that reputation. In their current season, their form has been far from perfect.

Back in Week 3, the Cowboys were stunned by the Bears, coughing up three turnovers in the fourth quarter and watching a comfortable lead vanish in a 31–14 defeat. Then came Week 6, when the Panthers bulldozed through Dallas’ defense for 216 rushing yards. Most recently, against the Cardinals, the story hadn’t much improved. Stalled drives and a defense that allowed three red-zone trips to turn into touchdowns.

“We’ve got to figure out how we need to improve in all phases of the game,” Dak Prescott reflected on the overall plan post-game.

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This season, it is the Cowboys’ defense that has not lived up to the mark. They suffered a loss after choosing to trade Micah Parsons in August. While the franchise did reinforce its defense by signing linebacker Logan Wilson and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, there is still work that needs to be done. 

Unfortunately for the team, a pattern of underwhelming displays has been consistent all season, and now, the historic label that once struck fear across the league stands threatened.