NFL Preview - Dallas (4-1) At Arizona (3-2)
POSTED: 6:46 pm EDT October 9, 2008
By Michael Rushton, NFL Contributing Editor -- (Sports Network) - Scoreboard operators are expected to be very busy this weekend at University of Phoenix Stadium, as the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals bring their prolific offenses to Glendale for a Sunday showdown.
The Cowboys and Cardinals enter this contest ranked second and third, respectively, in points per game in the NFC, while Arizona is second in the conference with 282.6 passing yards per contest. Dallas is third with an average of 268.6 yards through the air.
Dallas, which is averaging 30.2 points per game, is 4-1 on the season after last Sunday's 31-22 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Cowboys jumped ahead 17-0 in the contest before Cincinnati cut it to 17-16 early in the fourth quarter. However, Dallas quarterback Tony Romo responded with a 57-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens shortly after as the Cowboys held on for the victory.
The club got back into the win column after having a season-opening three-game win streak halted by Washington the previous weekend. A victory this Sunday by Dallas would give the team its second straight 5-1 start and 16th in franchise history.
The Cowboys can hardly afford a setback this weekend, as its 4-1 mark is only good for a tie for second with the Redskins in the tight NFC East. The defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants are tops in the standings with a 4-0 mark.
Dallas has won both of its road games this season and plays the first of back- to-back tests as the visitor against NFC West opponents. The team plays in St. Louis the following weekend.
Arizona, meanwhile, puts its five-game home winning streak on the line this Sunday. The Cardinals won their final three tests as the home club in 2007 and have posted big wins over Miami and Buffalo this year.
In fact, the Cardinals are 8-2 at home since Ken Whisenhunt took over as head coach at the start of last season and have outscored their opponents in Glendale by a 72-17 margin this year, thanks to a 31-10 win over the Dolphins in Week 2 and last weekend's 41-17 pounding of Buffalo.
Arizona, which is averaging 29.4 points per game this year, snapped a two-game slide with the win -- with the two previous losses coming on an East Coast swing -- and lead the NFC West with a 3-2 mark.
The Cards put up some big offensive numbers despite being without wideout Anquan Boldin, who was out after having surgery on a fractured facial bone suffered from a helmet-to-helmet hit the previous weekend in a loss to the New York Jets.
With Arizona on the bye after this game, it is unlikely Boldin, whose five touchdown receptions are tied for the league lead with Owens and San Diego's Chris Chambers of San Diego, will suit up for this game either.
SERIES HISTORY
Dallas has a 55-27-1 lead in its all-time regular season series with Arizona, and was a 27-10 road winner in the last such matchup, in Week 10 of the 2006 campaign. The Cardinals have lost three straight against Dallas since scoring a 9-6 overtime victory when the teams met in Arizona in 2002.
In addition to the regular season series, the teams played a memorable postseason contest in a 1998 NFC First-Round Playoff, won by the Cardinals, 20-7, on the road. That game marks Arizona's only playoff victory since 1964.
Dallas head coach Wade Phillips is 1-1 in his career against the Cardinals, with the win coming while he was at the helm of the Buffalo Bills in 1999. Phillips' first loss as an NFL head coach came to the Cardinals in 1985, when as interim head coach of the Saints, his team dropped a 28-16 loss at St. Louis. Whisenhunt will be meeting both Phillips and the Cowboys for the first time as a head coach.
WHEN THE COWBOYS HAVE THE BALL
Dallas has done an excellent job of mixing the pass and run this year, and it was no different in the team's win over the Bengals. Romo (1,368 passing yards, 11 TD, 5 INT) threw for just 176 yards in the win, but also connected on three scoring strikes, while running backs Marion Barber and rookie Felix Jones combined for 180 yards on the ground. Barber (395 rushing yards, 4 TD) shouldered the load with 84 yards on 23 carries, while Jones (244 rushing yards) totaled a career-high 96 yards on just nine attempts, good for an average of 10.7 yards per rush. Jones had a 33-yard scoring run in the win, giving him four touchdowns (3 rushing, 1 KR) on the season. Romo, meanwhile, is fourth in the league with a 100.6 QB rating, but has thrown an interception in eight straight games. One thing to keep an eye on is how many looks Owens (19 receptions, 5 TD) gets in this game. The wideout complained of not getting the ball enough in the Week 4 loss to Washington and had just two catches in Sunday's win. Owens has been held to three catches or fewer in three of his five games this season. However, his scoring catch versus the Bengals tied him with Marshall Faulk for fourth all-time on the league's touchdown list with 136. All but two of those have been receiving TDs for Owens. Tight end Jason Witten (35 receptions, 2 TD) made eight catches for 79 yards with a score versus the Bengals.
Arizona enters this test having held previously unbeaten Buffalo to just 287 net yards of offense last week. The Bills managed just 84 yards on the ground versus the Cardinals defense, which did allow Buffalo quarterback J.P. Losman to connect with wideout Lee Evans for an 87-yard touchdown pass. Big play aside, it was still an encouraging outing by the Cards, who posted five sacks in the win while forcing four turnovers. Defensive tackle Gabe Watson made his season debut in the game, posting a sack and a forced fumble. Watson had been out due to a broken kneecap suffered in the offseason. Defensive end Travis LaBoy (17 tackles, 4 sacks) added two sacks and seven tackles, while linebacker Clark Haggans (16 tackles) recorded 1 1/2 sacks. Linebacker Karlos Dansby (36 tackles, 1.5 sacks) was credited with the other half of the sack in addition to making seven tackles. Corner Eric Green (15 tackles) intercepted his first pass of the season in the win, with linebacker Gerald Hayes (33 tackles), defensive tackle Darnell Dockett (16 tackles, 1 sack) and defensive end Antonio Smith each recovering a fumble. The turnover fest pushed Arizona's takeaway/giveaway ratio to plus-one for the season. Rookie corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie could be forced into a start this weekend, with Roderick Hood questionable due to a groin injury. Hood was limited in early-week practices, as was Green (groin) and safety Adrian Wilson (hamstring).
WHEN THE CARDINALS HAVE THE BALL
If any team can match the Cowboys on the score sheet, it is the Cardinals. Quarterback Kurt Warner (1,472 passing yards, 10 TD, 4 INT) rebounded from a rough outing in Week 4 to tag the Bills for 250 passing yards on 33-of-42 passing with two touchdowns. Warner also didn't turn the ball over in the win, which came one week after he threw three interceptions and lost a trio of fumbles in a loss to the Jets. The former Super Bowl and regular-season MVP has thrown for 611 yards and five TD's without a pick in his two home games this season. Without Boldin (27 receptions, 5 TD) versus the Bills, the Cardinals saw nine different receivers haul in at least one pass, with Larry Fitzgerald (31 receptions, 4 TD) and Steve Breaston (20 receptions) catching seven each. Fitzgerald also hauled in two touchdown passes and became the seventh-fastest player in league history to reach 5,000 yards receiving. With Boldin out, rookie Early Doucet made his NFL debut and made six catches for 42 yards. Arizona added 123 rushing yards against Buffalo, with Edgerrin James (334 rushing yards, 3 TD) posting 57 yards on the ground with a score. Rookie Tim Hightower scored a career-high two touchdowns, giving him five in his first five NFL games.
Dallas will make Warner beat them, as the club has been excellent against the run this season. The Cowboys rank 10th in the NFL with 95.0 rushing yards allowed per game, and held the Bengals to just 61 in Sunday's win. Linebackers DeMarcus Ware (26 tackles) and Zach Thomas (34 tackles, 1 sack) and defensive ends Jay Ratliff (20 tackles, 3 sacks) and Marcus Spears (11 tackles) all ended with five tackles, while Ware and Ratliff each had a sack. Ware has posted a sack in eight straight games, having recorded nine in that span. A sack in this test would tie Harvey Martin (1977) for the second-longest streak in club history. Ware is leading an attacking defense that is sixth in the NFL with 14 sacks, while he himself is tied for fifth with five sacks on the season. Corner Adam Jones (20 tackles) led Dallas with six tackles versus Cincinnati, while linebacker Greg Ellis (10 tackles, 2 sacks) posted an interception and has 14 1/2 sacks in his last 18 games. Ellis' pick was also the first by a Dallas player this season. Corner Terence Newman did not play in Week 5 due to a groin injury that also caused him to miss Week 1. It is unlikely he will play this weekend as well, and he reportedly could need surgery for a sports hernia.
FANTASY FOCUS
Both the Cardinals and Cowboys have made fantasy owners very happy so far this year, and that trend should continue in this game. For Dallas, expect Romo to continue to put up solid numbers, and although Owens has been limited in some games, he is still a must-start. Romo threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns without a pick in his only other start versus the Cardinals, while Owens has hauled in three touchdowns in his last two versus Arizona. Witten remains Romo's favorite target and is arguably the best fantasy tight end available right now. On the ground, both Barber and Jones remain solid plays. Barber is a safer start because he gets a bulk of the carries, but Jones has emerged as a solid No. 2/flex look due to his big play ability and touchdown output so far. Defensively, Dallas should be able to rack up some sacks, but will likely give up some points and has had trouble forcing turnovers.
Warner has been great at home this year and should again put up great numbers as long as he stays on his feet. In addition to Fitzgerald, Breaston is a great start with Boldin still ailing. With Dallas' ability to stop the run, Doucet is also a good start since the Cards will have to air it out a bit. Though James has had two 100-yard games in his career versus the Cowboys, he won't be a factor on the stat sheet this week. In fact, Hightower might be the better start, as he continues to find the end zone week in and week out. The Arizona defense will have trouble containing Dallas' attack and should be avoided, though Wilson has four interceptions and two sacks lifetime versus Dallas.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
Both teams enter this game with clicking offenses and both are also coming off big wins last week. Although Dallas allowed more points than Arizona last weekend, its defense matches up better with the Cardinal offense than the Cards' D does against the Cowboys' O. Warner will need time in the pocket to get the passing game going, as James and Hightower will find little room against Dallas' front seven, and the Cowboys' pass rush will likely give the slow-footed Warner some trouble. Arizona will have to adjust to all the different looks Dallas can give, while trying to contain as many as four playmakers in the process. Though Arizona is in first place in the NFC West, they bite off more than they can chew this weekend, while Dallas remains in the thick of the NFC East hunt.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Cowboys 34, Cardinals 24
By Michael Rushton, NFL Contributing Editor -- (Sports Network) - Scoreboard operators are expected to be very busy this weekend at University of Phoenix Stadium, as the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals bring their prolific offenses to Glendale for a Sunday showdown.
The Cowboys and Cardinals enter this contest ranked second and third, respectively, in points per game in the NFC, while Arizona is second in the conference with 282.6 passing yards per contest. Dallas is third with an average of 268.6 yards through the air.
Dallas, which is averaging 30.2 points per game, is 4-1 on the season after last Sunday's 31-22 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Cowboys jumped ahead 17-0 in the contest before Cincinnati cut it to 17-16 early in the fourth quarter. However, Dallas quarterback Tony Romo responded with a 57-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens shortly after as the Cowboys held on for the victory.
The club got back into the win column after having a season-opening three-game win streak halted by Washington the previous weekend. A victory this Sunday by Dallas would give the team its second straight 5-1 start and 16th in franchise history.
The Cowboys can hardly afford a setback this weekend, as its 4-1 mark is only good for a tie for second with the Redskins in the tight NFC East. The defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants are tops in the standings with a 4-0 mark.
Dallas has won both of its road games this season and plays the first of back- to-back tests as the visitor against NFC West opponents. The team plays in St. Louis the following weekend.
Arizona, meanwhile, puts its five-game home winning streak on the line this Sunday. The Cardinals won their final three tests as the home club in 2007 and have posted big wins over Miami and Buffalo this year.
In fact, the Cardinals are 8-2 at home since Ken Whisenhunt took over as head coach at the start of last season and have outscored their opponents in Glendale by a 72-17 margin this year, thanks to a 31-10 win over the Dolphins in Week 2 and last weekend's 41-17 pounding of Buffalo.
Arizona, which is averaging 29.4 points per game this year, snapped a two-game slide with the win -- with the two previous losses coming on an East Coast swing -- and lead the NFC West with a 3-2 mark.
The Cards put up some big offensive numbers despite being without wideout Anquan Boldin, who was out after having surgery on a fractured facial bone suffered from a helmet-to-helmet hit the previous weekend in a loss to the New York Jets.
With Arizona on the bye after this game, it is unlikely Boldin, whose five touchdown receptions are tied for the league lead with Owens and San Diego's Chris Chambers of San Diego, will suit up for this game either.
SERIES HISTORY
Dallas has a 55-27-1 lead in its all-time regular season series with Arizona, and was a 27-10 road winner in the last such matchup, in Week 10 of the 2006 campaign. The Cardinals have lost three straight against Dallas since scoring a 9-6 overtime victory when the teams met in Arizona in 2002.
In addition to the regular season series, the teams played a memorable postseason contest in a 1998 NFC First-Round Playoff, won by the Cardinals, 20-7, on the road. That game marks Arizona's only playoff victory since 1964.
Dallas head coach Wade Phillips is 1-1 in his career against the Cardinals, with the win coming while he was at the helm of the Buffalo Bills in 1999. Phillips' first loss as an NFL head coach came to the Cardinals in 1985, when as interim head coach of the Saints, his team dropped a 28-16 loss at St. Louis. Whisenhunt will be meeting both Phillips and the Cowboys for the first time as a head coach.
WHEN THE COWBOYS HAVE THE BALL
Dallas has done an excellent job of mixing the pass and run this year, and it was no different in the team's win over the Bengals. Romo (1,368 passing yards, 11 TD, 5 INT) threw for just 176 yards in the win, but also connected on three scoring strikes, while running backs Marion Barber and rookie Felix Jones combined for 180 yards on the ground. Barber (395 rushing yards, 4 TD) shouldered the load with 84 yards on 23 carries, while Jones (244 rushing yards) totaled a career-high 96 yards on just nine attempts, good for an average of 10.7 yards per rush. Jones had a 33-yard scoring run in the win, giving him four touchdowns (3 rushing, 1 KR) on the season. Romo, meanwhile, is fourth in the league with a 100.6 QB rating, but has thrown an interception in eight straight games. One thing to keep an eye on is how many looks Owens (19 receptions, 5 TD) gets in this game. The wideout complained of not getting the ball enough in the Week 4 loss to Washington and had just two catches in Sunday's win. Owens has been held to three catches or fewer in three of his five games this season. However, his scoring catch versus the Bengals tied him with Marshall Faulk for fourth all-time on the league's touchdown list with 136. All but two of those have been receiving TDs for Owens. Tight end Jason Witten (35 receptions, 2 TD) made eight catches for 79 yards with a score versus the Bengals.
Arizona enters this test having held previously unbeaten Buffalo to just 287 net yards of offense last week. The Bills managed just 84 yards on the ground versus the Cardinals defense, which did allow Buffalo quarterback J.P. Losman to connect with wideout Lee Evans for an 87-yard touchdown pass. Big play aside, it was still an encouraging outing by the Cards, who posted five sacks in the win while forcing four turnovers. Defensive tackle Gabe Watson made his season debut in the game, posting a sack and a forced fumble. Watson had been out due to a broken kneecap suffered in the offseason. Defensive end Travis LaBoy (17 tackles, 4 sacks) added two sacks and seven tackles, while linebacker Clark Haggans (16 tackles) recorded 1 1/2 sacks. Linebacker Karlos Dansby (36 tackles, 1.5 sacks) was credited with the other half of the sack in addition to making seven tackles. Corner Eric Green (15 tackles) intercepted his first pass of the season in the win, with linebacker Gerald Hayes (33 tackles), defensive tackle Darnell Dockett (16 tackles, 1 sack) and defensive end Antonio Smith each recovering a fumble. The turnover fest pushed Arizona's takeaway/giveaway ratio to plus-one for the season. Rookie corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie could be forced into a start this weekend, with Roderick Hood questionable due to a groin injury. Hood was limited in early-week practices, as was Green (groin) and safety Adrian Wilson (hamstring).
WHEN THE CARDINALS HAVE THE BALL
If any team can match the Cowboys on the score sheet, it is the Cardinals. Quarterback Kurt Warner (1,472 passing yards, 10 TD, 4 INT) rebounded from a rough outing in Week 4 to tag the Bills for 250 passing yards on 33-of-42 passing with two touchdowns. Warner also didn't turn the ball over in the win, which came one week after he threw three interceptions and lost a trio of fumbles in a loss to the Jets. The former Super Bowl and regular-season MVP has thrown for 611 yards and five TD's without a pick in his two home games this season. Without Boldin (27 receptions, 5 TD) versus the Bills, the Cardinals saw nine different receivers haul in at least one pass, with Larry Fitzgerald (31 receptions, 4 TD) and Steve Breaston (20 receptions) catching seven each. Fitzgerald also hauled in two touchdown passes and became the seventh-fastest player in league history to reach 5,000 yards receiving. With Boldin out, rookie Early Doucet made his NFL debut and made six catches for 42 yards. Arizona added 123 rushing yards against Buffalo, with Edgerrin James (334 rushing yards, 3 TD) posting 57 yards on the ground with a score. Rookie Tim Hightower scored a career-high two touchdowns, giving him five in his first five NFL games.
Dallas will make Warner beat them, as the club has been excellent against the run this season. The Cowboys rank 10th in the NFL with 95.0 rushing yards allowed per game, and held the Bengals to just 61 in Sunday's win. Linebackers DeMarcus Ware (26 tackles) and Zach Thomas (34 tackles, 1 sack) and defensive ends Jay Ratliff (20 tackles, 3 sacks) and Marcus Spears (11 tackles) all ended with five tackles, while Ware and Ratliff each had a sack. Ware has posted a sack in eight straight games, having recorded nine in that span. A sack in this test would tie Harvey Martin (1977) for the second-longest streak in club history. Ware is leading an attacking defense that is sixth in the NFL with 14 sacks, while he himself is tied for fifth with five sacks on the season. Corner Adam Jones (20 tackles) led Dallas with six tackles versus Cincinnati, while linebacker Greg Ellis (10 tackles, 2 sacks) posted an interception and has 14 1/2 sacks in his last 18 games. Ellis' pick was also the first by a Dallas player this season. Corner Terence Newman did not play in Week 5 due to a groin injury that also caused him to miss Week 1. It is unlikely he will play this weekend as well, and he reportedly could need surgery for a sports hernia.
FANTASY FOCUS
Both the Cardinals and Cowboys have made fantasy owners very happy so far this year, and that trend should continue in this game. For Dallas, expect Romo to continue to put up solid numbers, and although Owens has been limited in some games, he is still a must-start. Romo threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns without a pick in his only other start versus the Cardinals, while Owens has hauled in three touchdowns in his last two versus Arizona. Witten remains Romo's favorite target and is arguably the best fantasy tight end available right now. On the ground, both Barber and Jones remain solid plays. Barber is a safer start because he gets a bulk of the carries, but Jones has emerged as a solid No. 2/flex look due to his big play ability and touchdown output so far. Defensively, Dallas should be able to rack up some sacks, but will likely give up some points and has had trouble forcing turnovers.
Warner has been great at home this year and should again put up great numbers as long as he stays on his feet. In addition to Fitzgerald, Breaston is a great start with Boldin still ailing. With Dallas' ability to stop the run, Doucet is also a good start since the Cards will have to air it out a bit. Though James has had two 100-yard games in his career versus the Cowboys, he won't be a factor on the stat sheet this week. In fact, Hightower might be the better start, as he continues to find the end zone week in and week out. The Arizona defense will have trouble containing Dallas' attack and should be avoided, though Wilson has four interceptions and two sacks lifetime versus Dallas.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
Both teams enter this game with clicking offenses and both are also coming off big wins last week. Although Dallas allowed more points than Arizona last weekend, its defense matches up better with the Cardinal offense than the Cards' D does against the Cowboys' O. Warner will need time in the pocket to get the passing game going, as James and Hightower will find little room against Dallas' front seven, and the Cowboys' pass rush will likely give the slow-footed Warner some trouble. Arizona will have to adjust to all the different looks Dallas can give, while trying to contain as many as four playmakers in the process. Though Arizona is in first place in the NFC West, they bite off more than they can chew this weekend, while Dallas remains in the thick of the NFC East hunt.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Cowboys 34, Cardinals 24
posted by The Gryphon at 8:01 PM
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