The Dallas Cowboys will be trying to do something they haven’t done all season. Win two games in a row. Standing in their way is the lowly Arizona Cardinals, who sit at 2-5, last place in the NFC West.
The Cowboys are coming off a convincing Monday night win over the Philadelphia Eagles and it would be refreshing to see them do a little more of the good stuff and a little less of the bad stuff. Will they be able to pull it off?
Here are five things to watch when the Cowboys host the Cardinals on Sunday.
1. Trey’s company
Who’s Jacoby Brissett throwing to? That’s the easiest question one could ask as we all know that tight end Trey McBride will get a heavy dose of targets. That’s usually the case as McBride is one of the best tight ends in the league. He can do it all. Find soft spots in coverage, overwhelm smaller defenders, and turn routine plays into big gains. He’s a monster. No tight end in the league has been targeted more than McBride this season.
Who will draw the assignment of keeping him contained? Rookie safety Caleb Downs is the optimal choice. While he’s better playing downhill, Downs will have to roam outside his comfort zone and chase after McBride. The young defensive back has had his fair share of challenges in coverage this season, but he’ll need to squeeze and come at times to minimize the damage of the Cardinals’ biggest receiving weapon.
2. UnCeeDed territory
While McBride leading all tight ends in targets surprises no one, you might be shocked to learn that CeeDee Lamb leads all wide receivers in targets this season. The Cowboys star receiver was hot just a few weeks ago, reeling off three straight games with over 100 yards receiving. He’s since cooled off, stringing together three straight without reaching 75 yards receiving. It is now time for him to get back on that hot streak?
Doing so against the Cardinals would be good timing, as he’s never caught a touchdown pass against them before. In fact, Arizona is the only NFC team that has kept him out of the end zone.
Despite not having a huge yardage outing, Lamb is coming off a two-touchdown performance against the Eagles, and he now goes against a defense that has allowed the most points in the league.
3. Klaymation
Last week defensive coordinator Christian Parker went against his old team and his group arguably put together their best performance. Granted, it was against a depleted Eagles offense. This week offensive coordinator Klayton Adams will get another crack at his former team. Last year, when he faced the Cardinals, the Cowboys offense only put up 10 points, their lowest output of the season.
Last year was against Jonathan Gannon’s group, this year he’ll face Mike LaFleur and a new staff, however, defensive coordinator Nick Rallis remains. Does Adams’ old team know his style all too well?
The Cowboys’ offense is coming off its best rushing performance of the year and it would be great if Adams’ group could build off of it. Another game where Javonte Williams wears down the defense with a little sudden acceleration of Tyler Goodson mixed in would be welcomed. And there is no better time against a former team who had your number this time a year ago.
4. Love on the run
The Cardinals aren’t the only defense that struggles with the run, as it’s still been a problem for the Cowboys’ defense as well. Dallas was fortunate they faced an ailing Saquon Barkley last week, otherwise, the Eagles could have attacked on the ground more effectively.
This week, they should get another running back returning from injury who also happens to be a top-3 overall pick in the draft. Jeremiah Love has been nursing an ankle injury and is still waiting for a breakout game.
The Cardinals will attempt to attack with the run to take pressure off quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Whether it’s Love, Tyler Algier, or Bam Knight, the Cardinals will look to exploit any weaknesses in the Cowboys’ run defense.
5. Ending the streak
The Cardinals have won four straight against the Cowboys, which is weird because Arizona hasn’t been a good team in recent years. The last two times they’ve played, the Cardinals have finished 3-14 and 4-13, but for some reason, they always show up against Dallas.
But they don’t just beat the Cowboys, they embarrass them. During this four-game drought, the Cardinals have led by at least 12 points in each of those games.
This game feels eerily similar. Arizona is bad again, and everyone expects the Cowboys to beat them, but for that to happen, the Cowboys must break this curse and show up ready to go so they can leave all that disappointing play behind them.
That might be easier said than done, as this year’s team has been notorious for putting up disappointing showings.
