Cowboys vs. Cardinals Preseason Preview 2026: Time, TV and What to Watch

Football Nation
7 hours ago
3 min read

Dallas visits Arizona on Saturday night with a clear assignment: keep the defensive progress from its opener while cleaning up the field position and run game problems that Brian Schottenheimer highlighted afterward. The Cowboys beat Seattle 17 to 7, but they allowed 144 return yards and produced only 40 net rushing yards in the first half.

Arizona has already played twice because of the Hall of Fame Game. The Cardinals followed a narrow loss to Carolina with a 27 to 14 win over Las Vegas. That extra game experience gives Mike LaFleur's staff a larger sample on the bottom half of the roster, especially at quarterback and wide receiver.

Game information

Detail	Information
Kickoff	Saturday, August 22 at 9 p.m. Central
Venue	State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
TV	CBS in the Dallas market
Stream	NFL+ where eligible

Preseason snapshot

Team	Latest result	Numbers that matter
Cowboys	Won 17 to 7 at Seattle	76 yards allowed over Seattle's final seven drives
Cardinals	Won 27 to 14 at Las Vegas	Jacoby Brissett: 5 of 5 with one touchdown

Dallas must fix the hidden yardage

Seattle averaged excellent starting position because Dallas allowed 144 yards across six punt and kick returns. That can distort an otherwise strong defensive performance. Saturday is a direct test of lane discipline, tackling angles and whether the coverage groups can force Arizona to earn long fields.

The run blocking deserves the same attention. Dallas did not create enough first half movement in Seattle, which made the reserve quarterback work harder than necessary. The Cowboys need cleaner combination blocks and more decisive cuts from the backs. Jaydon Blue's shoulder status is worth monitoring, so other backs may receive a larger evaluation window.

Camden Brown tries to turn one night into a trend

Brown caught three passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns in the opener. Sam Howell and Joe Milton both found him for scores, and his ability to finish plays made him the night's most visible roster riser. The next step is consistency. Arizona can test whether Brown separates when the coverage knows he is a priority and whether he contributes when the ball goes elsewhere.

Dallas also needs the reserve quarterbacks to stack productive series. The evaluation is not simply touchdown passes. It includes huddle command, protection adjustments, ball placement and avoiding the mistake that changes field position.

Arizona's depth creates two strong stories

Quarterback efficiency: Brissett completed all five of his passes and threw a touchdown on his only drive against Las Vegas. Gardner Minshew completed 14 of 16 passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Even if the workload changes Saturday, Arizona has established a high standard for clean decisions.

Jalen Brooks and the receiver race: Brooks followed his 99 yard Hall of Fame Game with another touchdown against the Raiders. He is building a real case in the competition for a reserve receiving role, and Dallas offers another test against a defense that finished its opener well.

Rookie running back Jeremiyah Love will not play because of an ankle injury. That removes one explosive evaluation piece and shifts more responsibility to the rest of Arizona's backfield.

Football Nation read

Dallas has the defensive form to control the game, but the Cowboys cannot keep giving opponents short fields. Arizona's quarterback depth and Brooks give the Cardinals enough efficiency and explosiveness to punish those mistakes. The matchup turns on special teams discipline, Dallas run blocking and which reserve offense stays out of long third downs.