The Arizona Cardinals have finally snapped their five-game losing streak, doing so in convincing fashion with a 27-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. 

The Cardinals, who started 2-0, are now 3-5, while the Cowboys – blown out by the Denver Broncos last week – fell to 3-5-1 heading into their bye week. 

All eyes were on the Cowboys entering this game after that brutal loss at Mile High, but the Cardinals also came into this game desperately needing a win to not only get the vibes high in the locker room again but keep the season afloat. 

It was Jacoby Brissett once again starting for Arizona, as Kyler Murray remains out with his toe injury. Brissett, though, was the man for the job from the jump, and Marvin Harrison Jr. was his right-hand man. 

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The second-year receiver had a fantastic night, tallying seven catches and 96 yards in the first half with the game’s first touchdown on a beautiful release that left cornerback Da’Ron Bland flat-footed.

However, Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense – averaging over 30 points per game this season – couldn't find a rhythm against the Cardinals' defense. They turned it over on downs on their opening drive and came away empty-handed.

After a Cowboys punt, Harrison’s touchdown made it 10-0, and tight end Jake Ferguson’s fumble in Arizona territory killed another promising Dallas drive. But the Cowboys’ special teams answered when Sam Williams blocked a punt that ricocheted off his helmet and rolled into the end zone, where Marshawn Kneeland recovered it for a touchdown.

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Brissett and the Cardinals responded immediately, marching 74 yards in 11 plays before Brissett snuck one across at the goal line. 

When the third quarter began, Michael Wilson immediately put the Cardinals in plus territory as he caught a ball from Brissett and ran 50 yards to Dallas’ 24-yard line. A few plays later, tight end Trey McBride made it 24-7 with a nice snag on the right side of the colored paint. 

Dallas added a field goal, then Prescott connected with Ryan Flournoy for a short touchdown to cut the deficit to 10. Given how Arizona’s recent losses came down to one score, this one still felt far from over.

Dallas got another stop on defense, but it was the Cardinals’ defense that came away with a massive play during the ensuing drive. Prescott was blitzed and threw the ball immediately to running back Javonte Williams, who wasn’t ready for a Cardinals defender to hit him right away. During the tackle, the ball was ripped out of Williams’ arm and Akeem David-Gaither recovered it before it went out of bounds. 

That play came with 4:46 left in the game, and just when it seemed like there was a chance for another epic collapse, Arizona finally came through with the play they needed. 

In the box score, Brissett was 21-of-31 for 261 yards with two touchdown passes despite getting sacked five times by the Cowboys. McBride finished with five catches for 55 yards, while Emari Demercado led the way on the ground with 79 yards on 14 carries. 

For Dallas, Javonte Williams totaled 83 yards on 15 carries, but turnovers doomed the offense. Prescott went 24-for-39 for 250 yards with one touchdown and one interception, the latter coming on the Cowboys’ final drive.

CeeDee Lamb finished with 85 yards on seven catches, while George Pickens added six receptions for 79 yards.

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It is said that everyone’s a critic.

But when it comes to the government shutdown, everyone’s an oracle.

Especially when trying to determine when it might end.

"[Democrats] are waiting to elect [Zohran] Mamdani, the communist, soon-to-be mayor of New York. And then I believe things will go back into business as normal," said Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on FOX Business. "If we don't reopen this week, then I believe it'll happen at some time shortly before Thanksgiving."

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Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., also offered her own prediction.

"I believe that this week could be the week," said Capito on FOX Business.

But Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, wasn’t so sure.

"I don't know what the predictions are based on," said Cornyn on Fox. "We keep looking for some rational behavior on the part of the Democrats who shut down the government. But it was a dumb idea to start with. And it hasn't gotten any better since."

Everyone is now searching for a flicker of hope. A glimmer of reason as to why the government shutdown won’t deepen.

But all this week represents is another opportunity. There have been multiple inflection points along the way, but nothing has quite yielded the same opportunity to end the shutdown as this week.

Yes, emergency food aid for the nation’s neediest expired on Saturday. Air traffic is growing worse by the hour. Healthcare premiums formally spiked on Saturday – which is why Democrats balked at funding the government in the first place.

But none of those developments have truly forced the sides back to the negotiating table. That’s why some have settled on Tuesday’s elections as a potential turning point.

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Mamdani is the odds-on favorite to become the next mayor of New York City. Republicans are now projecting that the election is why the Democrats haven’t folded on government funding. They believe that certain election results – a win by the progressive Mamdani in New York coupled with what Republicans hope are losses by the moderate former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., running for Virginia governor and Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., running for New Jersey governor – will prod Democrats into action. Republicans believe such results will compel Democrats to see their party as out of touch.

"I hope the election tomorrow is a change. A sea change in all this," said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. "I hope that after everybody votes and they go in their room and they make the calculation that, well, ‘maybe, maybe we won't have to hold that line anymore.’"

Republicans know the shutdown will end eventually. But if it ends soon, they want to shape the narrative that "Democrats caved because of the election results."

Consider that Republicans have been forecasting the shutdown’s end for five weeks now.

"The cracks started to appear in the Democrat base," proclaimed Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., on October 1.

Republicans believed Democrats would cave in a matter of days once the shutdown started.

It never happened.

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The GOP then argued that Democrats were merely holding out until the "No Kings" rallies on October 19 concluded — that Democrats would have "shown they were fighting" by then.

"They won't be able to reopen the government until after that rally," forecast Johnson on Fox on October 10.

There was nothing of the sort.

Then the GOP amended its argument that Democrats were on the verge of giving in because federal workers were missing paychecks. Especially air traffic controllers.

"We're getting to where the consequences of this are very real," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Fox on October 23.

That theory also fizzled.

Republicans then pinned their hopes on the next missed paycheck, coupled with flight delays, expiring SNAP benefits, and spiking health premiums on November 1.

"The Democrats will collapse entirely," predicted Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Fox over the weekend.

But nothing changed.

"We will not support a partisan, Republican spending bill that continues to gut the healthcare of the American people," proclaimed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. "That's been our position. Week after week after week – and it will continue to be our position." 

Say what you will about the Democrats’ strategy. But they haven’t folded.

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Keep in mind that Republicans have tried in vain to convince Senate Democrats since mid-September to accept a GOP spending plan which would only fund the government through November 21.

"It is now becoming close to a moot issue," said Cornyn. "What are they going to do after, I don't know."

Thune proclaimed that the 21st is now a date which is "lost."

Yours truly asked House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., what was the "drop-dead date" for Republicans to make another play call.

"With November 21st out there, it's not a lot [of] time to resolve differences," replied Scalise.

There’s now chatter about Republicans crafting another short-term spending bill through January.

"The longer sort of runway, the better," said Thune. "I'm certainly listening to our colleagues and trying to figure out kind of where that landing spot would be."

But there’s no guarantee either chamber could pass such a measure — especially if Democrats’ core demands remain unaddressed.

In his daily prayer to open the Senate session, Senate Chaplain Barry Black implied that the lawmakers needed help solving the crisis – simply because they were no closer to a resolution than they were in late September.

"Inspire our lawmakers to unite in putting out the fire of this government shutdown that has already burned far more than anticipated," prayed Black.

It’s too unpredictable to make a sound prediction about when the shutdown will end. But if you predict enough things, you’ll eventually get something right.

So how about this prediction:

The shutdown will end.

Eventually.

And that’s truly the only safe prediction anyone can make right now.