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By Bob McManaman
GLENDALE, Ariz.—There's something about the desert that gives the Dallas Cowboys heartache and heartburn.
It happened once again Sunday, when the Cowboys blew a chance to win the game in regulation and then watched LaRod Stephens-Howling catch a screen pass and dart 52 yards in overtime for a touchdown that lifted the Arizona Cardinals to a stunning, 19-16 victory at University of Phoenix Stadium.
It's the third straight loss for the Cowboys in their last three trips to Arizona, and each of them has ended in drama.
Last Christmas, it was a 48-yard field goal by Jay Feely that doomed Dallas. Two years before that, the Cardinals blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone to win in overtime.
"I don't know, it's something about the Cowboys," said Cardinals wide receiver Andre Roberts, who caught six passes for 111 yards and threw a key block that helped spring Stephens-Howling on his mad dash to the end zone. "We just seem to play them pretty tough, and the games are good."
The Cowboys (7-5) had a chance to win in regulation, but Dan Bailey missed a 49-yard field goal in the final seconds of regulation. Bailey made an attempt from that distance initially, but the Cowboys called timeout just before he kicked it, so it was nullified.
Bailey then missed his second attempt, short and to the left.
The Cardinals (5-7) won the coin toss in overtime, and after a pair of completions by quarterback Kevin Kolb, back in the starting lineup after missing four weeks with a right foot injury, he swung a screen pass to the speedy Stephens-Howling.
From there, the part-time running back/kick returner dialed up all the quickness he had and avoided a series of potential tacklers before slashing his way into the end zone, where he was mobbed by his teammates.
"Once I caught the ball and turned around, I saw we had a bunch of red jerseys going to work out there, and they definitely helped me get to the end zone," Stephens-Howling said. "What a win, beating the Cowboys. They're America's team, and probably nobody outside of this locker room thought we had a chance to win today."
The victory was the fourth in the past five games for the Cardinals. The loss snapped the Cowboys' four-game winning streak and prevented them from improving on their lead in the NFC East, as the New York Giants (6-6) suffered a last-second loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Dallas coach Jason Garrett refused to call the loss a momentum-killer for his team.
"We came out here and gave it our best shot in all three areas," Garrett said. "We didn't play a perfect game by any means, but the effort and intensity was good. We just didn't play well enough. We know what the next challenge is, and we've got to get ready for that quickly."
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo completed 28 for 42 passes for 299 yards and one touchdown. Kolb, who had been out because of turf toe, a ligament sprain and a bone bruise on his foot, was 16 of 25 for 247 yards and one touchdown.
The Cardinals held Dallas running back DeMarco Murray to 38 yards on 12 carries. Receiver Dez Bryant was Arizona's biggest concern, as he caught eight passes from Romo for 86 yards and a touchdown.
Arizona mustered just 49 yards of offense in the first half, with Kolb accounting for only 23 passing yards. Four of the five sacks Dallas collected came in the first half, and the Cowboys led 10-3 at halftime.
However, the Cardinals came out of the locker room after the break looking like a completely different team. They put together consecutive long drives that resulted in a 23-yard field goal by Feely and a 4-yard touchdown run by Beanie Wells, who last week rushed for a franchise-record 228 yards against the Rams.
Wells gained 67 yards on 20 carries against the Cowboys. The touchdown was his ninth of the season.
GAME NOTES: Each quarterback was sacked five times in the game, and the 10 sacks were by 10 different players. … The victory was Ken Whisenhunt's 41st as head coach of the Cardinals. That leaves him one shy of tying Don Coryell for the most wins in franchise history. … Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett left in the first half due to a rib injury, and he did not return. … Arizona's Patrick Peterson, who has returned four punts for touchdowns this season, fielded just one punt Sunday, and he returned it for just 1 yard.
