👋 Good morning! Happy (football) Monday. My name is Alex D’Agostino.
By now, you’ve probably noticed that I’m not Patrick Brown. I know, I’m disappointed as well.
With that said, I’m extremely excited for the opportunity to spend these mornings with you all, bringing the latest in our beloved state’s sports happenings. I’ll have big shoes to fill.
I joined PHNX ahead of this football season as our Arizona Cardinals writer (little did I know what I was getting into). You can check out my regular Cardinals work on gophnx.com.
I’d also like to extend a sincere thank-you to Patrick, as well as Espo and Leah for the opportunity to expand my coverage here.
But enough about me, let’s get to the good stuff.
— Alex D’Agostino, (new) PHNX Sports Daily Editor
Cardinals QB Intrigue Heads to Jerry’s World
The Cardinals are (finally?) playing in primetime this season. They’ll face the Cowboys in Dallas on Monday Night Football at 6:15 p.m. local AZ time tonight with the (lack of) time change.
It was a blissful bye week without any Sunday heartbreak. But now it’s back to reality. At 2-5, the Cardinals’ thin chance at saving their season has to begin tonight.
Arizona has had plenty of success against Dallas over the years.
In fact, Kyler Murray is a collective 9-0 at AT&T Stadium in his high school, college and professional careers. For such an ugly start to 2025, that much should inspire some confidence right?
Well, except for the fact that Murray isn’t starting, again…
Backup QB Jacoby Brissett will get his third straight game under center as Murray continues to work his way back from a foot injury — despite practicing all week.
Head coach Jonathan Gannon noted that Murray may play “a role,” but it’s unclear what exactly that means. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
It’s been tough to read this Cardinals regime, especially with regard to complicated situations such as the all-important QB position.
There’s no denying Arizona’s offense has looked better with Brissett, but Gannon has been steadfast in his support of Murray as the franchise QB. Speculation is already running wild about Murray’s future in Arizona with the NFL Trade Deadline looming on Tuesday, November 4.
Brissett, meanwhile, has thrown for 599 yards, four touchdowns and one interception over two games in Murray’s absence. That’s added to the controversy, and a third solid outing will only make the noise louder.
With a leaky Cowboys defense ahead, it’s not out of the question to expect another good performance out of Brissett. Dallas is surrendering 404.6 yards per game and 31.3 points per game over seven weeks. The Cardinals should be able to produce offensively without much resistance tonight.
Stoppable force, meet movable object.
Matchup to Watch: Cardinals Face Former Coach
Well, it’s no secret that the Cardinals’ offense has lost what little identity it had coming into 2025.
Sure, there’s been more explosive downfield plays with Brissett under center, but Arizona’s run game (their bread and butter in 2023 and 2024) remains completely stagnant — so much so that Murray still leads the team in rushing… with 173 yards.
Meanwhile, Cowboys offensive coordinator Klayton Adams (the Cardinals’ former offensive line coach) has Dallas humming, both on the ground and through the air.
Dak Prescott is averaging over 260 passing yards per game with 16 touchdowns and five picks.
But it’s been Dallas’ run game that’s stood out through the first half of the season. RB Javonte Williams hasled the charge, averaging a career-best 5.1 yards per carry with 726 total yards and nine touchdowns.
Dare I say, Williams has looked almost James Conner-like… That can’t be a coincidence, right?
Arizona’s run defense, meanwhile, has been relatively stout. They’ve allowed only 706 yards on the ground all year, and only 22 points per game.
Unstoppable force, meet (somewhat) immovable object.
That said, the Cardinals’ fourth quarter defense has been a rough watch in all facets. Their -47 point differential in the final 15 is the worst such figure in the NFL. It won’t be a leisurely watch if Arizona holds a fourth quarter lead at any point tonight.
Buckle up.
Quick Hits
Sims City: The Sun Devils earned a needed, quality win over a tough Iowa State opponent on Saturday, winning 24-19 in Ames. In wake of starting QB Sam Leavitt’s season-ending injury (and missing star WR Jordyn Tyson) backup QB Jeff Sims put on a show, with 29 rushes for 228 yards and two touchdowns (including a wild 88-yard score) — a school record for rushing yards. He also threw for 177 yards and a touchdown. QBs do that too, I guess.
The Sun Devils clinch bowl eligibility with their sixth win of the season. As much of a confusing, and perhaps disappointing season as it’s been, that was a big one for Kenny Dillingham and the Devils.
Bould-Over: The Wildcats put a thrashing on Deion Sanders and the struggling Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday, winning 52-17 in Boulder. QB Noah Fifita threw only 19 passes, but completed 11 of them for 213 yards and four touchdowns. Arizona’s defense forced five turnovers (two fumbles and three interceptions), on the way to a skid-ending win. Condolences to our friends at DNVR (but not that many).
At 5-3, a return to bowl eligibility is one win away.
On the basketball side, Wildcat hoops will face a tough challenge tonight, taking on the defending champion Florida Gators in Las Vegas at 5:00 p.m. AZ time to kick off the 2025-26 season. Arizona went 2-0 in their preseason exhibition games against St. Mary’s and Embry-Riddle. The Gators, however, are a whole different animal.
Alien Evasion: The Phoenix Suns handed the San Antonio Spurs their first loss of the season Sunday night, winning 130-118 at home. They held rising star Victor Wembanyama to only nine points over 34 minutes. Devin Booker had 28 points and Ryan Dunn played an excellent game, with 17 points and five rebounds.
It was the second straight win for the Suns this weekend, after Phoenix defeated the Utah Jazz 118-96 in NBA Cup Group Play on Friday night. After an ugly 1-4 start to the season, it’s nice to see first-year head coach Jordan Ott’s squad stack align (ding!) back-to-back wins.
Rising Phoenix: Rising FC defeated El Paso Locomotive 1-0 in the USL Western Conference Quarterfinals. Midfielder Charlie Dennis recorded the winning goal deep in the match. Rising will advance to the semifinals in search of their second title in three seasons.
Tip of the Cap By Branded Bills
Halloween might be over, but that doesn’t make being an Arizona sports fan any less scary.
