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AIPROPX ReportYahoo Sports · 1h ago
By the Numbers: Cowboys defense logs 1st takeaway; Milton flirts with perfect rating
Saturday's trip to the desert was all business, but there was a lot of pleasure taken in the 34-13 win, too. The Cowboys looked mostly clean and efficient in all three phases of the game and managed to put the score all but out of reach by intermission.
Dallas's second- and third-stringers may not have overwhelmed the host Cardinals statistically or with a ton of gaudy highlights, they simply outpaced Arizona from the start and then kept them safely in the rearview mirror for the rest of the night.
Now 2-0 to start the preseason for the first time since 2007 (Wade Phillips's first year as head coach), the Cowboys will finish out training camp at The Star in Frisco and play one more exhibition tilt before roster cuts are due Aug. 30. That's the day the team will need to get its 90-man squad down to 53, though strong overall performances like the one Saturday at State Farm Stadium promise to make this year's numbers game especially difficult for Cowboys coaches.
In the meantime, here's a look inside some of the numbers that help tell the story of the team's impressive preseason win over the Cards.
0: Punts by Cowboys
Bryan Anger was shouted out by head coach Brian Schottenheimer last week as one of ten Cowboys players who have stood out at camp. No one is quite sure why, however, as he got to punt zero times in this latest win. That's not to say the Cowboys finished every drive with a score; they turned the ball over on downs on their first possession, and Sam Howell threw an interception in the fourth quarter. But apart from those miscues, Dallas came away with points on six of eight drives (kneeldowns not included). Keeping your punter bored on the sideline is usually a recipe for success... even if he is (supposedly) having an awesome and noteworthy camp.
1: Preseason takeaways by Dallas defense
Shavon Revel Jr. continues his strong training camp/preseason with his first NFL (preseason) interception pic.twitter.com/tXGR4mdfsN
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) August 23, 2026 Takeaways are a defense's lifeblood, but Christian Parker's unit didn't have any against the Seahawks last weekend. They finally got on the board versus Arizona when Shavon Revel Jr. stepped in front of a Gardner Minshew pass after receiver Simi Fehoko fell. The pick made up for a drop Revel had in the Seattle game, providing further encouragement that the East Carolina product is individually on the cusp of big things in the Cowboys secondary this year. Parker would certainly like to see more ballhawking from all his DBs and punchouts from his defense as a whole; hopefully Revel's highlight is the start of a larger takeaway trend.
4: Total penalties against Dallas
Schottenheimer harped on the team's 13 penalties in the Seattle win, and then his squad showed even less discipline when their joint practice against New Orleans erupted in multiple brawls. The league stepped in to fine the Cowboys $500,000, but it's likely the coaches laid also down the law to players behind closed doors. However it got through, the message was received. Dallas was flagged just four times Saturday night (for only 20 total yards), and the normally false-start-happy offensive line was responsible for exactly none of those penalties, despite being on the road.
5.2: Average yards per carry allowed by Cowboys
Thank goodness Jeremiyah Love wasn't playing. Heck, it wasn't even Tyler Allgeier. No, the Cowboys defense gave up an average of 5.2 yards per carry to the Cards' RB trio of Evan Hull, Corey Kiner, and Tre Stewart, and that should be cause for some concern. To be fair, none of the Cowboys' main run-stoppers were dressed to play, either, but Saturday's rough showing by depth DTs Jay Toia, Tommy Dunn, DJ Withers, LT Overton, and Adedayo Odeleye may keep them from breaking into the interior rotation anytime soon... and may even keep some of them from making the roster.
75: Rushing yards from Jaydon Blue
The second-year back out of Texas logged 15 carries Saturday night to lead the Cowboys' ground attack, and his 75 yards on the night were better than any performance he had last season. No, his totals didn't come against NFL starters, but Blue's 5.0 average yards per carry are much more in line with what the team had hoped for when they drafted him in 2024. Blue has always had home-run potential, and although he'll likely never need to hit 15 totes in a game where Javonte Williams and Malik Davis are healthy, it's good to finally see he may have workhorse potential if the situation demands it.
151.4: Joe Milton's passer rating
Joe Milton LAUNCHES it for a 53-yard TD pass to Jonathan Mingo 🚀 DALvsAZ on @nflnetwork Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/3LgWRZrsii
— NFL (@NFL) August 23, 2026 Perfection is 158.3. And while Milton's 9-of-13 on the night (the entire first half) for 179 yards may not be particularly eye-popping, the third-year man was flirting with the highest mark a QB can earn. His yards per attempt (13.7), touchdown percentage (15.4%), and zero interceptions all surpassed the standard for a perfect passer rating, but his completion percentage (69.2%) fell short of the 77.5% requirement. Even so, Milton showed off his rocket-launcher of an arm, but he also displayed improving accuracy, total comfort running the Dallas offense, and fine decision-making. He was good enough that there will now be some debate about whether the Cowboys should trade him to a QB-needy team in order to beef up at another position.
255: Net yards from Cowboys offense in 1st half
The Cowboys have developed a reputation for being a slow-starting team. While they failed to reach paydirt on their opening possession against Arizona, they did move the ball well, netting 66 yards before stalling inside the Cardinals' red zone. They soon added drives of 75 and 78 yards, scored the next four times they touched the ball, and went int...
NumbersCowboysMiltonQB Joe MiltonThe CowboysDallasCardinalsArizonaNowWade PhillipsThe StarFrisco
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