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Weeden Struggles In Cowboys 28-17 Loss To Arizona

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ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) -- The Arizona Cardinals came into Sunday's game with the idea of challenging fill-in quarterback Brandon Weeden to beat them.

The strategy worked.

Weeden finished the day with two interceptions, DeMarco Murray was held to under 100 yards rushing for the first time this season, and the Arizona Cardinals moved to an NFL best 7-1 with a 28-17 win over Dallas at AT&T Stadium on Sunday.

The Cowboys (6-3) finished a three-game homestand with a 1-2 record.

Weeden started in place of Tony Romo, who suffered an injury last Monday night after receiving a knee to the back versus Washington. Head coach Jason Garrett says Romo was ruled out 90 minutes before game time.

"He progressed each and every day, never to the point where he could practice," said Garrett. "So obviously without getting any work up to this point, it was a fairly easy decision once we got to gameday."

Arizona frequently loaded the box, working to limit the effectiveness of Murray, whose NFL record streak of eight consecutive games with 100+ yards rushing came to an end. He finished the day with 79 yards on 19 carries.

"We didn't play very well on offense," said Garrett. "Obviously they come into it with a commitment to stopping the run. That's their style of defense."

Though the Cardinals showed single-high coverage for most of the day, Weeden struggled, failing to record a completion to a wide receiver until the second drive of the third quarter. He finished the day 18-of-33 for 183 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

"I was inconsistent," said Weeden after the loss. "Some good at times, some not good enough at times."

Garrett said the team needed to be more effective with the pass against that style of defense.

"You need to be able to stand in there and throw it and catch it and move the ball that way then come back and be balanced with the run game."

On the flip side, Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer had success against Dallas, throwing for 249 yards and three touchdowns.

The Cowboys jumped out to an early lead after undrafted rookie cornerback Tyler Patmon intercepted Palmer and returned it 58 yards for a touchdown.

Dallas extended its lead after a 40-yard screen play to running back Lance Dunbar placed them in position for a 52-yard Dan Bailey field goal.

But the Cowboys wouldn't score again until the game was essentially decided.

Arizona scored touchdowns on its final two possessions of the half, pushing its lead to 14-10. A 35-yard field goal attempt by Dan Bailey as time expired was blocked.

The Cowboys drove deep into Cardinals territory in the third quarter, but Weeden threw an interception in the red zone to the "Honey Badger" Tyrann Mathieu while targeting Jason Witten.

Carson Palmer then completed a 1-yard TD pass to Andre Ellington to give Arizona a 21-10 lead.

Weeden's second interception of the day came late and led to a 1-yard touchdown plunge by running back Marion Grice.

"One thing that I keep coming back to is the turnovers," said Weeden. "When you turn the ball over inside the red zone, you take away points. You can't do that."

Dez Bryant recorded his only two receptions on the day on the team's final drive, including a 3-yard touchdown reception to bring the score to 28-17.

Weeden and Bryant were unable to connect on the first eight targets.

"[Dez] was wanting the ball and I gave him a look...We have to figure out where we've gone wrong and get it fixed."

The Cowboys leave Monday morning at 7:00 a.m. for London, where they will play Jacksonville next weekend.

Tony Romo says he will travel with the team, though it's unclear if he will be available to play.

"We're betting on him playing," said owner Jerry Jones. "If we didn't think he could play, he wouldn't be on that long plane ride."

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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