NFL preseason live updates, reaction: Cowboys cruise past Cardinals after Rams, Giants, Patriots also win
Follow our live coverage of today’s full day of action in the NFL preseason.
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The Athletic Live Team
August 23, 2026 at 3:12 AM EDT
NFL Preseason Week 2 Roundup
The second week of NFL preseason continued today with 20 teams in action
The first six games of the day saw Detroit, Baltimore, Atlanta, Buffalo, the Rams and the Giants coming out on top. Later, the Patriots defeated the Eagles, 24-21, in a game with six lead changes, while the Bengals defeated the Bears 27-9. Kansas City raced out to a 9-0 lead against the Buccaneers, but Tampa Bay rallied for a 16-15 win. The Cowboys then rolled over the Cardinals 34-13 in the nightcap
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And then
the 2026 NFL season kicks off in earnest on Wednesday, Sept. 5, as the Seattle Seahawks raise their Super Bowl championship banner against the team they beat in that game last February, the New England Patriots
Then, the action shifts to Australia for a matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers the following day, before the first NFL Sunday of the year follows just two days later!
Looking ahead in the preseason
After Sunday night, one more week of NFL preseason will remain. Here’s what’s on tap
- Steelers at Bills, 7 p.m. ET
- Patriots at Brows, 8 p.m.
- 49ers at Raiders, 8 p.m.
- Rams at Chargers, 10 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 28
- Commanders at Ravens, 6 p.m.
- Texans at Panthers, 7 p.m.
- Falcons at Dolphins, 7 p.m.
- Buccaneers at Jaguars, 7:30 p.m.
- Giants at Jets, 7:30 p.m.
- Saints at Cowboys, 8 p.m.
- Seahawks at Chiefs, 8 p.m.
- Bengals at Eagles, 8 p.m.
- Cardinals at Packers, 8 p.m.
- Vikings at Broncos, 9 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 29
- Lions at Colts, 1 p.m.
- Bears at Titans, 6 p.m.
One game left in the second week of preseason
It’s not quite “Sunday Night Football” but we get a taste of some Sunday primetime action when the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks take on the Tennessee Titans in Nashville
That game kicks off at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on Fox
Arizona flounders in prime-time matchup
After a decent start to their preseason, the Cardinals turned in a dud against the Cowboys. They had two touchdowns nullified by penalties in the 34-13 defeat
Overall, they were flagged eight times for 63 yards. Perhaps of greater concern is the defense. It gave up 30-plus points for the second time in three preseason games. Considering the Cardinals fell part on this end over the second half of last season, this is not a good sign for coordinator Nick Rallis’ group
Cowboys roll to 34-13 win over Arizona
FINAL – Cowboys 34, Cardinals 13
The Cowboys pick up their second win of the preseason in a 34-13 romp over Arizona
Quarterback Joe Milton III put on a show in his start, completing passes of 53 and 70 yards and tallying three touchdowns to put Dallas up big at halftime
Arizona picked up 20 first downs and recorded 325 yards from scrimmage, but the Cardinals converted just one red-zone trip into a touchdown
That’s it for today’s 10-game slate!
Mafah scores Cowboys’ fourth TD
Q4 2:05 – Cowboys 34, Cardinals 13
Cowboys running back Phil Mafah finds the edge and makes Arizona pay, bounding into the end zone for another Dallas touchdown
Dallas makes the most of the Arizona turnover on downs and makes this a three-possession game
Phil Mafah zooms in for a Cowboys TD 👏DALvsAZ on @nflnetwork Stream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/gUktkzSGVo
— NFL (@NFL) August 23, 2026
Cardinals can’t convert on fourth down
Q4 5:36 – Cowboys 27, Cardinals 13
Arizona doesn’t do much with Isaiah Oliver’s end-zone interception, managing one first down and turning the ball over on downs deep into their own territory
The Cowboys will now take over with a short field and the chance to add onto their lead
Cardinals’ Oliver intercepts Howell
Q4 8:03 – Cowboys 27, Cardinals 13
Sam Howell sparks the Cowboys’ first drive of the fourth quarter with a 25-yard completion to Zack Kuntz, and Dallas advances the ball all the way to the red zone
Howell tests the Cardinals’ secondary with a jump ball into double coverage, and Arizona’s Isaiah Oliver intercepts the pass in the end zone
That’s Arizona’s first takeaway today, and a major swing for a prospective Cardinals comeback
@AZCardinals get an interception in the end zone 🙌DALvsAZ on @nflnetwork Stream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/mv4aevGdoB
— NFL (@NFL) August 23, 2026
Q4 13:59 – Cowboys 27, Cardinals 13
The first Kedon Slovis drive ends in a pair of incompletions and a punt by interim punter and actual kicker Chad Ryland
That was the first punt the Cowboys have forced since the first quarter
Cardinals make QB switch before end of 3Q
End of Q3 – Cowboys 27, Cardinals 13
It’s Kedon Slovis time
Gardner Minshew II’s night is over and ends on its highest note with a touchdown drive. Minshew bounced back from his early interception to throw for 177 yards and lead three Arizona scoring drives
Slovis makes a strong first impression with an 18-yard completion to Bryson Green
Cowboys add another Aubrey FG
Q3 1:55 – Cowboys 27, Cardinals 13
Eku Leotaspoils a Cowboys red-zone trip with a 6-yard sack of Sam Howell, and Jaydon Blue can’t reach the first down on a draw attempt. That is Leota’s second tackle for a loss tonight
Brandon Aubrey, as expected, is automatic from 29 yards out to squeeze points out of the 11-play drive
Cowboys recover their kick return fumble
Q3 7:53 – Cowboys 24, Cardinals 13
Disaster averted for Dallas as Cowboys kick returner Malik Davis fumbles the ball after a collision, but Dallas recovers
Sam Howelltakes over forJoe Milton III at quarterback and has a high bar to clear
Kiner powers through Cardinals’ first TD
Q3 8:47 – Cowboys 24, Cardinals 13
The Cardinals’ offense finds paydirt after the Cowboys’ defense kept them out of the end zone in the first half
Running back Evan Hull was a focal point of the offense with six carries for 24 rushing yards on the drive, but Corey Kiner gets the goal-line carry and scores the 1-yard touchdown
Corey Kiner runs it in for a TD for the @AZCardinals!DALvsAZ on @nflnetwork Stream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/4CWjTzzgpl
— NFL (@NFL) August 23, 2026
Minshew still under center for Arizona
Q3 11:22 – Cowboys 24, Cardinals 6
Gardner Minshew II gets the second-half nod as well
He has been moving the Cardinals’ offense well down the field, though the Cowboys have spoiled the Cardinals’ red-zone trips. Minshew is 18-for-21 for 171 yards
Veteran Jacoby Brissett is already a known commodity and the starter, and rookie Carson Beck is nursing a rib injury. Kedon Slovis could also see time in this second half
Second half arrives for Cowboys-Cardinals
Q3 15:00 – Cowboys 24, Cardinals 6
The halftime break is over, and it’s time to find out if Arizona can get its offense rolling … and its defense to make a stop
The Cardinals will get the ball to begin the second half
Best-case scenario for Dallas
The Cowboys really couldn’t ask for a better first half Saturday night. Backup QB Joe Milton continued to look much improved from a year ago. The positive momentum he has built in training camp has carried over into the two preseason games. He could do no wrong in the first half, leading the team on three TD drives. Milton was excellent at moving around the pocket and extending plays. More importantly, he was outstanding at taking care of the ball. His first-half stats: 9 of 13 passing, 179 yards, 2 TD passes, 151.4 passer rating. He also had one rushing TD.
Defensively, Shavon Revel got his hands on an interception. A great sign for a young cornerback who didn’t play much last year because of a knee injury he suffered in college. He’s been having a very good camp, putting himself in the mix with DaRon Bland and Cobie Durantto start this season. Rookie inside linebacker Jaishawn Barham made his preseason debut after missing last week’s game because of a groin injury. He looks like he will be a major factor immediately. The third-round pick is natural at blitzing and causing problems near the line of scrimmage. He was all over the field, recording multiple pressures, a tackle for loss and five total tackles in the first half.
Halftime stats from Cowboys-Cardinals
Here is a look at the halftime stats from the first half of Cowboys-Cardinals:
Total Yards
- Cowboys: 255
- Cardinals: 164
First Downs
- Cowboys: 11
- Cardinals: 9
Passing Yards
- Cowboys: 179
- Cardinals: 130
Rushing Yards
- Cowboys: 76
- Cardinals: 34
Turnovers
- Cowboys: 0
- Cardinals: 1
Cowboys take 24-6 lead into halftime
HALF – Cowboys 24, Cardinals 6
Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland is very well wide right on the 62-yard field goal attempt, and the Cowboys will head into halftime up by 15 points
That will likely do it for Joe Milton tonight, and that’s great news for Arizona. Milton scored three touchdowns and passed for 179 yards
Arizona will need to see more from its defense. After a fourth-down stop on the opening drive, the Cardinals have not prevented Dallas from scoring
Butker on 69-yard make and brutal misses
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker said after Kansas City’s loss to Tampa Bay “that’s probably as good as I can hit a ball” when describing his 69-yard field goal before the end of the first half
“I haven’t really been practicing that (long field goals) in practice,” Butker said in the locker room afterward, “so that’s good to know I can just dial that up.”
Butker acknowledged it was his longest field goal ever — practice or game. He could recall previously hitting a career-high 67-yarder in drills
His longest one in the regular season — a 62-yard make against the Buffalo Bills in 2022 — remains the team record
Unfortunately for Butker, his day didn’t end on that high note. He missed a 42-yard extra point off the right upright in the third quarter, then pushed a 43-yard field goal attempt wide right with 3:27 left
The Chiefs never got the ball again in a 16-15 preseason road loss to the Buccaneers
“You’ve got to make your kicks,” Butker said. “So miss an extra point, miss a game-winner, that’s what I care about. Not the 69-yarder, or whatever it was.”
GO FURTHER
Chiefs’ Harrison Butker boots 69-yard field goal to end first half vs. Buccaneers
