It’s for the best that preseason football games do not count, otherwise the Arizona Cardinals‘ near nine-year streak without a loss to the Dallas Cowboys would have come to a more official end on Saturday night.

But as coaches across the NFL say year in and year out: these games do matter. The Cardinals did not perform well, and another poor showing by a defense that was already expected to be a team weakness only adds further concern. Arizona was stomped, 34-13, in front of the State Farm Stadium crowd.

Cardinals defense shaky once again

For the third straight week, defensive coordinator Nick Rallis’ unit was Arizona’s largest detriment. They struggled to pick up consistent pressure. Run defense was nearly nonexistent.

The Cardinals permitted Klayton Adams and the Dallas offense to orchestrate both lengthy, back-breaking drives and explosive downfield chunk plays.

Arizona’s defensive backs surrendered deep shots of 25, 53 and 70 yards to Cowboys pass-catchers. Real estate was affordable and easy to come by in Arizona’s defensive secondary. Cowboys QB Joe Milton completed nine of 13 passes for 179 yards and two scores (plus a rushing touchdown), for a passer rating of 151.4.

For as ugly as those numbers may have looked, Arizona’s run defense might have provided even more concern.

The Cardinals surrendered a grand total of 175 yards and two touchdowns on the ground — an abysmal average of 5.1 yards per carry. That will not play in the regular season, no matter what group of personnel may take the field.

Arizona’s top box score performer was linebacker Owen Pappoe, who led the team with 10 total tackles. That performance is a bit watered down, given the fact that Pappoe — alongside edge rusher BJ Ojulari — was still on the field in the waning moments of the fourth quarter. Similarly, DL Darius Robinson had another less-than-stellar game, with just one total tackle and a general lack of impact.

Linebacker Eku Leota might have had the best overall performance among Arizona’s defenders. He picked up five tackles, including two tackles for loss and the only sack of the night for the Cardinals.

In total, Arizona surrendered 413 total yards of offense. The Cowboys converted six of 10 third-down attempts. A too-little, too-late fourth-quarter interception in the end zone was the only factor standing in the way of a 40-point night for Dallas.

This is a group that cannot function well without the likes of Josh Sweat — who was present on the sideline — Walter Nolen III and Mack Wilson. There is little encouragement to be found in the Cardinals’ defensive depth, beyond the handful of impact contributors in the starting unit.

The scheme itself still looks, at best, suspect. Arizona will need to find some answers in the coming weeks.

Cardinals’ offense has sloppy, mixed game

Arizona’s offense did not look sharp in the early going. An uncharacteristic wealth of yellow laundry littered the field throughout, including two nullified touchdowns.

Arizona’s reserve offensive line struggled with both run blocking and pass protection in the first half. The starting unit is already a bit thin. Saturday was the first game so far this preseason in which Mike LaFleur’s offense looked disjointed and sloppy.

And yet, they still managed to move the ball. Backup QB Gardner Minshew completed 19 of his 23 passes for 177 yards and an interception. He did not look as sharp as Arizona’s passers have the previous two games, but it was was certainly still a passable night. The Cardinals also ran for 135 yards and a score on 26 carries — a clip of 5.2 yards per carry.

Though no pass-catcher surpassed 42 yards, Arizona spread the ball around the field, settling into more of a schematic rhythm as the game progressed.

In a way, it felt like Saturday’s game was quite the foreshadowing of the 2026 season.

It will be difficult to imagine Arizona’s defense providing a great deal of difficulty to opposing offenses. Simultaneously, LaFleur’s system continues to look quarterback-friendly. Even on a night in which the Cardinals’ overall offensive operation was subpar, it was still more creative, reliable and versatile than the scheme of the past several years.