Former Cowboys QB rips Dallas for 'embarrassing' loss to Cardinals: 'They stink'

The Dallas Cowboys have never won a game against the Arizona Cardinals inside AT&T Stadium. With their Week 8 loss, they fell to 0-5 in such contests. The 33-30 overtime defeat was undoubtedly the most disappointing result of the bunch. In fact, former Cowboys quarterback Ben DiNucci chalked it up as an "embarrassing" loss.

Despite holding a 10-point lead with 3:54 to play in regulation, the Cowboys lost for the third time in the last four weeks. They led by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter and for the first time this century lost a home game with that kind of late advantage. They had won each of their last 69 such games. It was as disheartening of a showing as any across the NFL.

"This was absolutely embarrassing today," DiNucci said on CBS Sports HQ. "They stink. I'm lost for words, honestly. They have so much talent on both sides of the ball, and year after year, week after week, all we see is just letdowns from them. I'm not sure what needs to change. … But at some point, the same old, same old in Dallas for the Cowboys, it's not cutting it. Something needs to change. Somebody needs to look themselves in the mirror. I don't know who it is, but that was an embarrassing loss for them."

Dallas was fortunate to even have a second chance at winning the game in overtime, because if not for a missed extra point on the Cardinals' final touchdown, they would have almost certainly lost in regulation.

Adding insult to injury, Arizona sparked its comeback with a backup quarterback. Gardner Minshew entered in relief of Jacoby Brissett and instantly elevated the offense with some help from running back Tyler Allgeier. What's more, the Cardinals may be destined to finish the year in last place in the NFC West. That is the caliber of opponent the Cowboys need to defeat in order to accomplish their goal of winning their own division, which remains fully up for grabs.

"It comes down to effort for the Dallas Cowboys," DiNucci said. "When you turn on the tape week in and week out -- and I honestly hate questioning guys' effort in the NFL because all of us understand what goes on on a day-to-day and week-to-week basis inside those locker rooms and organizations -- but the effort is not there for the Cowboys. You never know what team you're getting week in and week out. You can tell run play from pass play based on what effort guys are giving on offense."

The changes that DiNucci called for might not include a coaching change. Team owner Jerry Jones indicated that firing Brian Schottenheimer in the middle of the season is not on the table. If not that, then what? There are only so many ways to spark a meaningful turnaround when a team is seemingly at rock bottom.

DiNucci understands the pressure that comes with wearing the Cowboys star, having spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons as the team's backup quarterback, and he said the star veterans need to step up and change the culture.

"At some point, something inside that locker room needs to change," DiNucci said. "The leaders, whoever it is: Dak Prescott, Quinnen Williams, CeeDee Lamb. Whoever it is, somebody needs to take control of that locker room and say, 'Guys, whatever we're doing right now is simply not working. We need to scrap this thing. We need to ignore the outside noise.'

"I think a lot of the problem in Dallas is there's so much going on outside the game of football there. It's hard for guys to compartmentalize football from what's going on off the field. I can say that. I was there for a couple of years. I saw it firsthand on Mondays and Tuesdays; when I'm working out on off days, they're running tours through the facility, letting people see us work out and meetings and this and that. There's just a lot that comes with being a Dallas Cowboys football player, and I wonder if that at some point starts to take a toll on guys."

There are a few get-right opportunities in the near future for Dallas with the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles representing three of their next four opponents. If a week off is what this team needs, though, that will not come until a Week 14 bye.

Former Cowboys QB rips 'embarrassing' loss to Cardinals

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