From KC Joyner's book
Arizona found this out in week 8. The Cardinals had already played the Giants, Seahawks and Panthers, so they had been physically tested, but they came through those games with their mental toughness intact. After playing Dallas, however, the Cardinals admitted they were dominated and manhandled by a tougher team. It was so bad that Arizona benched their quarterback and a number of their offensive linemen and blockers after the game.
Detroit also found out how tough playing Dallas can be. The Lioins had earlier battles with tough teams, including a hard-hitting Baltimore squad that tried to intimidate the Lions but came up short. Dallas overpowered the Lions so badly that the Silver and Blue gave up on their head coach during the game.
It wasn’t just the cellar-dwellers who said this. Trent Green of the Chiefs said that he held onto the loss to the Cowboys a bit longer than he would usually hang onto a loss. In addition, the Chiefs defense was so worn out after the game they could barely muster the effort to tackle Tiki Barber the next week. That game wasn’t a physical domination by Dallas, but it was additional evidence that no team was going to come out of a game versus the Cowboys without having their psyche tested.
– Dallas Cowboys team summary, Scientific Football 2006
