After a win against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, the Dallas Cowboys return home to host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Dallas needs a win to move back to .500 on the season and gain on the New York Giants in the NFC East race.
Before the Cowboys and Cardinals square off, here are three causes for concern in this matchup.
1) Schottenheimer’s Cowboys consistency issues
In the Brian Schottenheimer era, consistency has been one of the Cowboys’ biggest pain points. In the 24 games that Schottenheimer has been Dallas’ head coach, the Cowboys have
won back-to-back games just once. That lone winning streak came back in November of last year when they won three in a row against the Raiders, Eagles, and Chiefs.
While Dallas is facing an inferior opponent this week in the Arizona Cardinals, the Schottenheimer-coached Cowboys teams have not been able to take advantage of these matchups and string together wins.
Week 5 of last season is a perfect example. Dallas won big against the New York Jets and headed into a very winnable game against the Carolina Panthers in Week 6. The Cowboys entered the game as three-point favorites over the 2-3 Carolina team but ended up losing the contest 30-27.
This week the Cowboys are in a very similar spot. They absolutely should beat the Cardinals and give Schottenheimer his second winning streak of his NFL coaching career, but given what we’ve seen from this team in the past two years, it’s hard to trust them to do so.
2) Arizona’s capable passing attack
It may sound crazy to say that a Jacoby Brissett-led Cardinals offense should worry Dallas, but with how bad the Cowboys’ defense has been this season, particularly in the pass game, it’s a valid concern. While the Cardinals’ offense hasn’t been near the top of the league, they have moved the ball effectively through the air in multiple games this season.
Brissett, who leads the league with 282 pass attempts, has thrown two or more touchdown passes in three games this season. One of those matchups was against the Detroit Lions, a defense similar to the Cowboys’ unit talent-wise. The veteran completed 29 of 47 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns while recording a 91.8 Passer Rating. The Lions ended up winning the game by a wide margin, but that was in large part due to their offense taking control early, something Dallas has struggled to do this season.
Brissett may not be seen as much of a threat, but if you don’t get pressure on him, he’s capable of sitting in the pocket and making some solid throws. An inability to rush the passer has been the Achilles heel for Dallas’ defense in the past few weeks. If that trend continues on Sunday, look for Arizona’s passing attack to make plays all game long.
3) The Cardinals problem
It’s fairly hard to believe, but the Arizona Cardinals may be Dallas’ toughest matchup over the course of the last decade plus. Since 2008, the Cowboys are a shocking 1-8 in their last nine matchups against the Cardinals, with four of those losses coming at home.
Since that 2008 campaign in which they started their winning ways against Dallas, the Cardinals have a 134-164-2 regular season record as a team. Arizona has rarely been one of the better teams in the league, but they always seem to find a way to beat the Cowboys, regardless of how their season is going.
Year-to-year team trends don’t mean much in the NFL, but it’s hard not to be concerned about Dallas’ struggles against the Cardinals. This game feels eerily similar to the Week 9 matchup between the two teams last season. Arizona won that game 27-17 as the Cowboys looked unprepared and undisciplined.
The Cowboys have a big-time Cardinals problem that they’ll look to put to rest on Sunday.
