The Arizona Cardinals ended their five-game losing streak Monday night, but coach Jonathan Gannon now faces an uncomfortable quarterback situation. Jacoby Brissett threw two touchdowns and ran for another in the Cardinals’ 27-17 victory over Dallas Cowboys, making his case impossible to ignore.
Jacoby Brissett Leads Cardinals Past Cowboys Ending Five-Game
Jacoby Brissett Leads Cardinals Past Cowboys Ending Five-Game (Image VIa Instagram/@arizsports)
Reporters asked Gannon twice whether Brissett had done enough to replace Kyler Murray as the starter. The coach gave the same answer both times: “Nothing’s changed.” His reluctance to engage the question speaks volumes about the brewing controversy.
Jonathan Gannon’s cryptic comment ignites fierce Kyler Murray vs. Jacoby Brissett showdown!
Gannon’s Statement Sparks Quarterback Controversy Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon has reignited the quarterback conversation with a brief yet impacthttps://t.co/UrfyNASpdW pic.twitter.com/YUvTWY0eHl
— M Sports (@MSports_all) November 4, 2025
Brissett went 21 of 31 for 261 yards without throwing an interception against the Cowboys. Over three starts, the 32-year-old veteran has compiled 860 yards, six touchdowns and just one pick. Thosenumbers tell the story of a quarterback playing winning football.
The Cardinals ran play action on 56.8% of dropbacks against the Cowboys on MNF, the highest rate by any team in a game this season.
Jacoby Brissett completed 10 of 16 play action passes for 141 yards and a touchdown in the win.#ARIvsDAL | #BirdGang pic.twitter.com/wic1qH60Np
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 4, 2025
The week began with expectations that Murray would return from his foot injury after the bye. Instead, Gannon announced Murray “wasn’t quite ready,” giving Brissett his third straight start. Arizona has now won just twice in the past 18 games when Murray either sat out or played fewer than five snaps.
Brissett deflected questions aboutreplacing the franchise quarterback. “I don’t get into that stuff, man,” he said. “I’m just trying to go out here and win games and be a good teammate.”
Marvin Harrison caught seven passes for 96 yards, including a four-yard touchdown. Tight end Trey McBride added a 12-yard scoring grab. The Cardinals offense moved efficiently under Brissett’s steady hand.
Dallas briefly grabbed momentum when Sam Williams blocked a punt that Marshawn Kneeland recovered in the end zone. But Arizona responded with long touchdown drives on consecutive possessions spanning halftime to build a 24-7 lead.
The Cowboys defense collapsed after their special teams score. Arizona averaged 10.8 yards on its next 15 plays, including Michael Wilson’s 50-yard catch and run on the second snap after halftime.
Josh Sweat sacked Dak Prescott twice, including on fourth down at the Arizona 7 on Dallas’s opening drive. Calais Campbell also recorded two sacks in his 250th career regular-season game. The Cardinals harassed Prescott all night with five total sacks.
Dallas Cowboys Struggle on Fourth Down Gambles
Dallas lost consecutive games for the first time under first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer. The Cowboys went 0 for 3 on fourth down, with critical failures derailing potential scoring drives.
Prescott threw incomplete to CeeDee Lamb on fourth-and-3 from the Arizona 7 to start the fourth quarter. “We were going to be aggressive all game,” Schottenheimer said. “That was part of the deal.”
The Cowboys managed only three points on their first three drives inside the Arizona 25. That inefficiency created the 17-point deficit they couldn’t overcome.
Javonte Williams lost a fumble with less than five minutes remaining, ending Dallas’s last realistic chance. Prescott finished 24 of 39 for 250 yards with one touchdown and a late interception on a desperate fourth-and-28 heave.
“We’ve got to figure out how we need to improve in all phases of the game,” Prescott said. His only touchdown pass came on a 5-yarder to Ryan Flournoy for the rookie’s first career score.
Arizona started 2-0 before losing five straight by a combined 13 points. The tight losses made the streak even more painful for Gannon’s squad.
“I’m looking at my watch, and I don’t remember the last time we won,” Gannon said. “It falls on me.”
The Cardinals improved to 3-5 while Dallas fell to 3-5-1. Both teams face uphill battles to reach the playoffs, but Arizona finally has momentum heading forward with their quarterback controversy brewing.