The Arizona Cardinals beat the Dallas Cowboys 33-30 in overtime on Sunday, with Chad Ryland's 42-yard field goal ending it. Arizona trailed by two touchdowns early in the fourth quarter and forced overtime on Michael Wilson's 13-yard catch with 6 seconds left.

Arizona's Run Game Beat Dallas Down After Down

The Cardinals did not need a late miracle to prove they were the better team. They piled up 467 total yards to 261 for Dallas and averaged 6 yards a play against fewer than 4 for the Cowboys. That is not a fluke margin.

The ground game drove it. Arizona ran for 202 yards on 27 carries, a 7.5-yard average, and Tyler Allgeier's 63-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter was the first sign the game was turning. Allgeier added a 5-yard touchdown catch in the fourth.

Dallas could not answer in kind. The Cowboys ran 39 times for just 93 yards, about 2 yards a carry. When one team runs for more than twice the yardage on a dozen fewer attempts, the line of scrimmage has been settled.

Rushing: ARI – 27 ATT, 202 YDS, 7.5 avg; DAL – 39 ATT, 93 YDS, 2.4 avg
Total offense: ARI – 78 plays, 467 YDS; DAL – 72 plays, 261 YDS
Third down: ARI – 8-18; DAL – 6-16

Dallas Played Clean and Still Could Not Close

The Cowboys did almost everything a team protecting a lead is supposed to do. They committed 0 turnovers, took the ball away twice, and drew fewer penalties than Arizona, which was flagged 9 times for 77 yards.

The problem was what Dallas did with its chances late. After Dak Prescott's 5-yard touchdown run opened the fourth quarter, the Cowboys' next two scores were Brandon Aubrey field goals from 35 and 41 yards. The first left Dallas up 10 and the second left it up 6, and Arizona answered both with touchdowns.

Aubrey was not the issue; his field goals from 31, 35 and 41 yards kept Dallas in front. An offense averaging under 4 yards a play simply could not finish drives, and the Cowboys' 168 net passing yards were not enough to punish an Arizona offense that was sacked 5 times.

Passing: DAL – 19-29, 168 net YDS, 0 INT
Kicking: Brandon Aubrey – FGs of 31, 35 and 41 yards
Turnovers: ARI – 2; DAL – 0

Minshew's Fourth Quarter Covered a Messy Afternoon

Arizona's passing game was not efficient for most of the day. The Cardinals completed 27 of 46 throws at just over 5 yards per attempt, threw 1 interception and lost a fumble. Dallas took its early lead on James Mitchell's 0-yard fumble recovery in the first quarter.

Then Gardner Minshew II threw 3 touchdown passes in the fourth quarter alone: to Allgeier, to Trey McBride from 14 yards and to Wilson from 13. The last one tied the game at 30, and although the extra point failed, Ryland made up for it in overtime.

That is the honest read on this win. Arizona's run game and total yardage earned it, but the passing attack only arrived when the clock forced it to, and that is a pattern worth watching.

Passing: ARI – 27-46, 265 net YDS, 1 INT
Sacks taken: ARI – 5 for 42 YDS; DAL – 4 for 27 YDS
Red zone: ARI – 3-5; DAL – 3-5

What It Means

Both teams leave at 3-5, but they are heading in different directions on the evidence of this game. The Cardinals are 3-2 on the road and 0-3 at home, and every one of their wins has come away from their own stadium. They are a different team traveling, and that split now defines their season.

Dallas falls to 1-3 at home. The Cowboys protected the ball and still lost because they could not run it or move it consistently, and an offense that averages 3.6 yards a play will keep leaving games within reach for whoever is chasing.