ARLINGTON – For one half Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys defense looked like it had finally turned the corner. By the end of the afternoon, it had suffered one of its most embarrassing collapses of the season.

The Arizona Cardinals erased a 14-point second-half deficit behind backup quarterback Gardner Minshew, stunning Dallas 33-30 in overtime at AT&T Stadium.

The loss dropped the Cowboys to 3-5 and raised renewed questions about defensive coordinator Christian Parker’s ability to sustain the improvements Dallas had shown in recent weeks.

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Cowboys Defense Dominates First Half

Dallas entered halftime leading 14-3 after delivering arguably its most complete defensive half of the season.

Linebacker Shemar James intercepted Jacoby Brissett and returned the football 33 yards, setting up the Cowboys’ first touchdown. Rookie safety Caleb Downs helped deliver a critical fourth-down goal-line stop, denying Arizona an early scoring opportunity.

DeMarvion Overshown added another momentum-changing play just before halftime, forcing a fumble that LT Overton recovered.

The Cowboys limited Arizona to three points, forced two turnovers and repeatedly pressured Brissett into difficult situations.

Dallas appeared to have the game under control when Brandon Aubrey’s third-quarter field goal extended the lead to 17-3.

But Arizona’s decision to bench Brissett changed everything.

Minshew Takes Over, Dallas Defense Falls Apart

With the Cardinals trailing by 14, head coach Mike LaFleur turned to Minshew, and the veteran quarterback immediately energized Arizona’s offense.

The Cowboys surrendered a 63-yard touchdown run to Tyler Allgeier, cutting the deficit to 17-10.

Dallas responded with a Dak Prescott rushing touchdown to restore a 14-point advantage, but the defense couldn’t protect it.

Allgeier ripped off another explosive run, this time covering 52 yards, before Minshew found him for a five-yard touchdown.

Suddenly, a defense that had controlled the line of scrimmage was getting gashed on the ground and struggling to contain Arizona’s passing attack.

Minshew eventually threw three touchdown passes without an interception, including a 13-yard strike to Michael Wilson with six seconds remaining in regulation.

That touchdown tied the game at 30 after Chad Ryland missed the extra point, sending the teams into overtime.

Another Late Collapse Raises Serious Questions

The Cowboys briefly recovered defensively in overtime, forcing an Arizona three-and-out behind another sack from Quinnen Williams.

But after the Dallas offense failed to capitalize, Minshew and the Cardinals got another opportunity.

Ryland connected on a 42-yard field goal to complete the comeback.

The contrast between the two halves was staggering.

Dallas surrendered just three points before halftime but allowed 27 in the second half and another three in overtime.

More troubling was how quickly the defense lost its discipline against an offense that had struggled for much of the afternoon.

Explosive rushing plays, breakdowns in pass coverage and an inability to finish drives transformed what should have been a convincing victory into another devastating defeat.

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Cowboys Face More Questions Than Answers

The Cowboys have shown signs of defensive improvement under Parker, particularly with the emergence of James, Downs and Overshown.

But Sunday’s performance demonstrated that progress remains fragile.

Dallas heads into next week’s matchup against the Indianapolis Colts needing more than another strong first half.

The Cowboys need a defense capable of finishing games.

Against Arizona, they had one.

Until they didn’t.