On Monday Night Football, the Arizona Cardinals were finally able to do what they hadn’t done all season — play well for four complete quarters — as they took down the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 27-17 at AT&T Stadium in Texas.
Arizona’s offense looked efficient and explosive for the third straight week under Jacoby Brissett, with WR Marvin Harrison Jr. hauling in a career-high seven passes for 96 yards and a score.
But beyond the noise of the QB controversy that only looms larger with each passing game, a star may be on the rise — on the other side of the football.
Arizona’s defense played well for the duration, holding the Cowboys to just 10 offensive points. Most encouraging of all, they made the big plays when they needed to most in the fourth quarter. Clearly, players were executing, and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis’ game plan was mostly airtight.
Or, perhaps the Cardinals finally found their missing piece — a truly dominant defensive tackle, in the form of rookie first-rounder Walter Nolen III.
Walter Nolen III Made Big Impact in Cardinals Debut
It was a discouraging beginning to the 2025 season for Nolen, who Arizona selected at 16 overall in the first round of the NFL Draft. The rookie was immediately sidelined with a significant calf injury that held him out of Arizona’s first seven contests.
But in the Cardinals’ skid-ending win Monday night, Nolen was not only a plus player, but a true instant impact. On just his second snap of the game, Nolen burst through the Dallas OL to wrap up RB Javonte Williams for a loss. He managed to pressure Dak Prescott a few plays later, allowing OLB Josh Sweat to sack the Cowboys QB for a fourth-down stop.
Nolen played 55% of defensive snaps (37), but his presence was felt nearly all night. He finished his debut with four tackles, two tackles-for-loss, his first career sack and a swatted pass. For someone who hadn’t played football in months, it was truly remarkable.
According to Cardinals Senior Vice President of Media Relations Mark Dalton, Nolen was the first player since T.J. Watt (and fourth all-time) to record a sack, two TFLs and a pass defensed in his debut.
“I thought he played well. It was good to see him smile out there. … It was good to have him out there,” head coach Jonathan Gannon said after the game.
On Tuesday, Gannon said there was still “plenty of room” for Nolen to add to his game (as he would say for any player) but made sure to note the positive impact of the rookie’s debut.
“He did play well, he was disruptive. He’s got some things to clean up, just like everybody, but I was pleased with where he was at. I really was. He obviously impacted the game, had some disruption there in the run and the pass game, which was good to see,” Gannon said.
“He played probably a touch more than I was anticipating… But I thought [DL coach Winston DeLattiboudere III] did a good job of managing that and then getting him in the game late there to help close the game.”
It’s that closing ability the Cardinals have been lacking.
In each of Arizona’s first seven games, the defensive performance had been notably poor in the fourth quarter. They came into Monday night with a -47 point differential — and four blown leads in the final 15 minutes.
That was not the case Monday. Arizona did allow a touchdown in the fourth, but was able to halt the Cowboys’ two final drives in critical situations. And Nolen made an impact there, as well.
The rookie recorded his first career sack in Dallas’ second-to-last drive of the game, pushing them back six yards. Rookie LB Cody Simon and CB Will Johnson forced a massive fumble two plays later.
It was a team performance across the board. Nolen was not the only one who helped close out Arizona’s fourth-quarter lead. But a rookie in his first career NFL game coming up big on a late, critical drive provides at least a smidgen of hope that the Cardinals’ defense may still reach its expected potential.
“To have your first NFL game and go out there and do what he did, it’s like, come on man. That’s incredible,” veteran DL Calais Campbell said postgame (who also contributed two sacks on Dallas’ final drive).
“Now I gotta make sure his head don’t get too big. You gotta stay a little poised.” (h/t Theo Mackie on X/Twitter).
Nolen and the Cardinals will face a tougher challenge than the 3-5-1 Cowboys this Sunday, as they’ll travel to face their rival Seattle Seahawks on a short week. But if Arizona’s defensive front plays the way it did in Nolen’s first game, the Cardinals may have a chance to win the battle of the trenches.
