3 Takeaways from Cowboys' Week 3 Loss vs. Cardinals

The Dallas Cowboys fell to the Arizona Cardinals in what was one of the most shocking outcomes of the season so far.

Arizona came in as a double-digit underdog and left with a double-digit victory. Kudos to the Cardinals, who certainly earned the victory, but Dallas is sure to dominate the headlines from this one.

The Cowboys are supposed to be legitimate Super Bowl contenders. On Sunday, they got outplayed in every phase by a winless team that no one took seriously.

Dallas can rebound, but this is a significant speed bump on the playoff path. Here are our three biggest takeaways from the Cowboys' 28-16 loss to the Cardinals in Week 3.

Trevon Diggs' Injury Looms Large

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Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs

The Cowboys' weekend got off to a sour start when star cornerback Trevon Diggs suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Thursday's practice.

"It's definitely a punch to the gut for our football team, but this is an opportunity for our defensive depth to stand up and continue to move forward," head coach Mike McCarthy said, per ESPN's Todd Archer.

Diggs' injury may have impacted Dallas' defense mentally, and his absence was definitely noticeable on the field. Arizona produced big play after big play, finishing with 400 yards and 28 points.

Coming in, Dallas had surrendered only 10 points and 386 yards through two games.

With Diggs out of the lineup, Joshua Dobbs and the Cardinals were not afraid to test the Cowboys secondary. Diggs' continued absence will be a major issue moving forward as well.

The Cowboys are without one of their biggest defensive playmakers, and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has limited flexibility without Diggs locking down one side in one-on-one coverage.

A Cowboys defense that looked unstoppable with Diggs in the lineup now looks vulnerable

Mistakes, Miscues Doom Cowboys

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Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy

While Diggs' absence was a major factor, the Cowboys didn't lose because of one player. Dallas has standout defenders like Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, plus a slew of offensive playmakers.

This was still a game that Dallas should have won. Unfortunately, winning in the NFL is hard when a team can't get out of its own way.

In a lot of ways, the Cowboys beat themselves. They committed a whopping 13 penalties for 107 yards, turned it over on downs inside the five-yard line and got just six points from four second-half red-zone trips.

It was an all-around sloppy performance by the Cowboys, compounded by some questionable decision-making by McCarthy and quarterback Dak Prescott.

McCarthy's decision to go for it on 4th-and-3 in the third quarter instead of making it a five-point game was curious. Prescott's decision to throw into triple coverage in the end zone on Dallas' final drive was even more so.

The Cowboys came out flat, got down early and made too many mistakes to ever recover.

Tony Pollard Continues to Fill Lead Role

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Cowboys RB Tony Pollard

It's hard to find positives in an upset loss like this, but it wasn't all bad for the Cowboys on Sunday.

Dallas got another strong performance from running back Tony Pollard, who continues to shine as the team's No. 1 back. Against the Cardinals, Pollard racked up 122 rushing yards, averaged 5.3 yards per carry and caught three passes.

Pollard was a Pro Bowler and Dallas' most explosive runner in 2022, but he still split time with Ezekiel Elliott fairly evenly. Pollard logged 232 touches, while Elliott finished with 248.

Now, Pollard is "the guy," and the Cowboys' rushing attack continues to function, which is a major positive. Rico Dowdle is proving to be a capable No. 2, and he finished with 21 rushing yards, 25 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Few will question the talent of Dallas' passing attack, and with Pollard again playing at a Pro Bowl level—following offseason leg surgery no less—the Cowboys can have one of the more potent and well-balanced offenses in the NFL.

If the Cowboys hope to be true title contenders, though, they'll need to play a more efficient brand of football than they did against Arizona.