The Arizona Cardinals don’t just have a recent edge over the Dallas Cowboys - they’ve owned this matchup for almost two decades.
Dallas leads the regular-season series overall, 56-35-1, and the Cardinals are 1-0 against the Cowboys in the playoffs, with that win coming in the 1998 season. But the bigger picture inside this rivalry has shifted hard in Arizona’s favor. The Cardinals have won eight of the last nine meetings and four straight, with the Cowboys’ only victory since 2006 coming in 2017.
That trend has held even in the building where Dallas usually expects to control things. Arizona has never lost a regular-season game at AT&T Stadium, going 4-0 there.
It’s not lost on Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb, who has never beaten the Cardinals since entering the league. He told the Cowboys’ team site, "Yeah, it's just crazy," Lamb said via the Cowboys' team site.
"[We were] being very, very relaxed, and they punched us in the mouth every single time. They've always had more energy They were more excited, regardless of if it was a 12 o'clock, Sunday night or Monday night.
"We've played them in prime time, they beat us there. So, we need to treat them as if they are a Super Bowl-contending team, which they may be, you know what I'm saying?
Hats off to them in their prep, and we just got to go match them. If not overpowered that."
The strange part is that Arizona hasn’t exactly looked like a heavyweight during this stretch. The Cardinals are 2-5. And still, they keep finding ways to get the better of Dallas.
Since 2008, the Cardinals have beaten the Cowboys with Kurt Warner, John Skelton, Kevin Kolb, Carson Palmer, Kyler Murray twice, Josh Dobbs and Jacoby Brissett at quarterback.
Here’s how the last nine meetings have gone:
2025: Cardinals 27, Cowboys 17 - Brissett’s only win as a starter last season.
2023: Cardinals 28, Cowboys 16 - Dobbs’ only win as a starter for the Cardinals.
2022: Cardinals 25, Cowboys 22 - Murray threw two touchdown passes and Arizona built a 22-7 lead.
2020: Cardinals 38, Cowboys 10 - Murray threw two touchdown passes, ran for another, and the defense picked off Andy Dalton twice while sacking him three times.
2017: Cowboys 28, Cardinals 17 - Carson Palmer was sacked six times, and Dak Prescott threw two touchdown passes and rushed for another.
2014: Cardinals 28, Cowboys 17 - Palmer beat Brandon Weeden.
2011: Cardinals 19, Cowboys 13 (OT) - LaRod Stephens-Howling scored on a 52-yard catch-and-run in overtime from Kevni Kolb.
2010: Cardinals 27, Cowboys 26 - John Skelton’s first career start ended with a Christmas win and a Jay Feely game-winning field goal.
2008: Cardinals 30, Cowboys 24 (OT) - Arizona blocked a punt in overtime and returned it for a touchdown.
In Other News...
Cardinals Suddenly Need Their Biggest Weakness To Show Up Vs Cowboys
Arizonas rushing game has been one of the quieter problems in a season full of them, with the Cardinals sitting near the bottom of the league in rushing yards and yards per carry. Now comes a Week 8 matchup with Dallas, a defense that has given up plenty on the ground in multiple games, which at least creates a rare opening for a ground attack that has struggled to find any rhythm.
The catch is that Arizona may have to take advantage with a line that is already stretched thin. Chase Bisontis and Paris Johnson are out for the season, and rookie Jayden Williams has been pushed into the left tackle spot, leaving the Cardinals close to a patchwork front even before the latest injury concern to center Hjalte Froholdt. If the run game is going to matter Sunday, it may need to hold up in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Game Could Decide What Jerry Jones Does Next
Jerry Jones has left the door open just enough to keep the Cowboys in the middle of the NFL rumor mill, but not enough to suggest a major move is imminent. The Dallas owner and general manager said it is unlikely he will swing a blockbuster trade before the deadline, even as his team has been tied to possible interest in names such as Maxx Crosby and wide receiver George Pickens. For now, the Cowboys are still sorting through their own issues, and Jones pointed to their recent trouble against Arizona as one of the reasons he wants to see that trend change.
The timing matters because Dallas has another shot at the Cardinals coming up, and Jones made clear that game could shape what comes next. He did not rule out staying active in the trade market once that matchup is in the books, which keeps the possibility of a deadline move alive without making it feel likely today. For a Cowboys team trying to find traction, the Cardinals game is suddenly about more than just the standings. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Line Depth Gets Tested Again Before Tough Cowboys Matchup
The Cardinals are heading into a tricky Week 8 matchup with Dallas already thin along both lines, after defensive lineman Walter Nolen III and offensive lineman Jon Gaines II were ruled out because of ankle injuries. Both players missed practice all week and will sit for a second straight game, leaving Arizona to patch together its front again against a Cowboys team that can test depth in a hurry.
There is at least one encouraging sign on the offensive side, with right tackle Elijah Wilkinson expected to play. Still, the line picture remains unsettled after Hjalte Froholdt was absent from Fridays practice, adding another layer of uncertainty to a unit that has already been forced to absorb multiple injuries at a difficult point in the schedule. [Read more 🡒]