Dallas Cowboys top Cards 28-17: Postgame reactions and quick takes

The Dallas Cowboys topped the Arizona Cardinals 28-17 Monday night, to move to 2-1. Here are the postgame quick takes from the Sport DFW staff.

Things didn’t come easy for the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football as they looked to get back in the win column against the Arizona Cardinals. After going three and out on their first possession, they wouldn’t receive the ball back until the second quarter.

But the Cowboys hung in there. The defense, largely dominated in the first half, limited the Cardinals points, keeping Dallas in the game, and breathing life into the offense. The defense, led by spectacular performances from Sean Lee and DeMarcus Lawrence, was able to overcome their injuries in the secondary by relentlessly attacking Carson Palmer.

Quick Takes: Dink Kearney

The Dallas Cowboys bounced back and beat the Arizona Cardinals 28-17 in convincing fashion, but it took some time for the Cowboys to overcome lackluster play on both sides of the ball. The Cowboys defense looked like they were still stuck in Denver as they allowed the Cardinals and quarterback Carson Palmer to march down the field in the first quarter and score an easy touchdown pass.

The secondary and pass rush looked pathetic to say the least. However, the Cowboys defense made some changes and recorded 6 sacks, with defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence recording three sacks and six quarterback hits. D-Law was a beast tonight as he now has 7 sacks for the year. The Cowboys defensive line was very impressive. The Cowboys might have their “War Daddy” in D-Law.

Related Story: Tracking Early Trends for the Cowboys

As good as the Cowboys pass rush played, the secondary needs some work as wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald had over 146 receiving yards toying with Dallas’ secondary. The secondary is young and needs a lot of work. Although it had some bright spots (Jourdan Lewis), this secondary gave up big plays and had three holding penalties on the final drive. The secondary has to play better moving forward. They need to some veterans in the defensive backfield.

More from Dallas Cowboys

• West coast, Texas coast, burnt toast: Cowboys don’t need more runs
• Brandin Cooks will change the way defenses play the Dallas Cowboys
• Why the Dallas Cowboys defensive X-Factor is EDGE Sam Williams
• Dallas Cowboys: 3 head coach options if McCarthy fails in 2023
• Dallas Cowboys: Is CB Jourdan Lewis a tradeable asset?

Dak Prescott, Dez Bryant, and Ezekiel Elliott came back to life as the all three of the “one name brothers” scored a touchdown and atoned for last week’s awful performance. After Dak adapted to the Cardinals defense and Zeke adjusted to the stacked box, the offense took off as Dak threw two touchdown passes to Dez Bryant and Brice Butler and ran for another. Dak went 13-18 for 183 yards, Zeke carried the ball for 80 yards on 22 carries and one touchdown. Dallas’ offense stuck to the run and got back to what works. At first, Dak was all over the place with his passes but regrouped and took control of the team and adjusted to the Cardinals defense.

Related Story: Is THIS the problem with the Cowboys O-line?

Although Dak and the offensive line struggled, I was impressed with how the Cowboys came back and won the game. the offensive line has to play better for this offense to run smoothly. And the young secondary has to get better or Dallas needs to make a trade for a veteran.

Next: Should the Cowboys have kept Brandon Carr? Nope. Here's why...

With two tough games behind them, this might be the wake up call this team needs to moving forward.