Cowboys roll to 2-0 in the preseason as Joe Milton arrives
Dallas dismantled Arizona behind a near-perfect first half from Joe Milton — three total touchdowns before halftime — with Jaydon Blue grinding out a roster-saving night and Sam Howell steering the second unit.
The Cowboys are unbeaten in the preseason after burying the Cardinals on Saturday night, and the story of the blowout was the quarterback nobody expected to steal the summer. Joe Milton went 9-of-13 for 179 yards with two passing touchdowns and another on the ground — all before halftime of a game Dallas led 24-6 at the break.
Todd Archer (@toddarcher): Cowboys lead, 24-6 at the half. Joe Milton goes 9 of 13 for 179 yards and two TDs. Also ran for a score. Sam Howell to get the second half of the work. Cowboys D holds up well, too.
Beat writers on both beats ran out of superlatives. Clarence Hill Jr. declared that Milton has simply arrived, then followed the final with a wry "break up the preseason Dallas Cowboys" as the Cowboys improved to 2-0.
Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr): Dallas Cowboys move to 2-0 in preseason with blowout win vs. Cardinals. Joe Milton has arrived - DLLS Sports https://alldlls.com/cowboys/cowboys-move-to-2-0-in-preseason-with-win-vs-cardinals/
The second half belonged to the depth chart battle underneath Dak Prescott. Sam Howell guided an 11-play field-goal drive to open his night, took a hit on a third-quarter scoring march, then undid some of the good work with an end-zone interception under pressure. Phil Mafah's 15-yard touchdown run capped the outburst at 34-13, drawing loud cheers from the Dallas locker room as the fourth quarter wound down.
The quiet roster storyline: Jaydon Blue carried 15 times for 75 yards, running hard in a backfield competition Hill framed bluntly — the second-year back is fighting for his spot, and Saturday was the kind of workload a coaching staff gives a player it wants to either keep or make a decision on.
One blemish: safety Julius Wood spent time in the blue medical tent and headed to the locker room in the fourth quarter, an injury worth monitoring with cutdowns a week away.