Cowboys vs. Cardinals Game Preview
The Cardinals are going nowhere fast. Their season was over not long after it started. Big Free Agent offseason signing QB Kevin Kolb took over the starting QB spot with great expectations but did not play well in the first few weeks of the season before getting hurt. He will make his return versus the Cowboys who he knows well from his time with the Eagles.
The Cardinals have nothing to lose at this point which makes them very dangerous to the Cowboys. No doubt the Cardinals stadium will be filled with Cowboys fans which I’m sure will give them even more reason to be jacked up for this game.
Kolb will have WR Larry Fitzgerald as his primary target so the Cardinals will be able to score from anywhere on the field. The Cowboys banged up secondary will have problems with him all day, but will need to get off the field to give their offense a chance to get some drives of their own. This is a game that both teams could score more than 30 points so the Cowboys cannot be thinking about the Giants game next week.
The Cowboys are looking for revenge for their Christmas Day loss last year in Arizona. They are coming off 10 days of rest and their T-Day win over the Dolphins. The Cowboys did not play well against Miami and they will not extend their win streak if they do not play better than last week, especially the offense.
Romo and company need to control the ball using RBs Murray and Jones. They have been too reliant on the pass the last few games and in December that can hurt you. I’m sure that you will see the Cowboys December record for the last few seasons flashed on the TV screen throughout the game. The December/January ‘Jinks’ the Cowboys have had the last few seasons is meaningless if you ask me. This season is this season.
The Cowboys can win in December and beyond if they do two simple things:
- Limit offensive turnovers to 1 per game.
- Play solid defense.
Defense wins Super Bowls! If the defense is kept off the field and is not put into short field situations too often the Cowboys defense can hold its own. It is much better than the 31st rank defense from last year. DC Ryan has kept offenses off balance this year with the help of LB DeMarcus Ware who is among the league leaders in sacks. The attack-first defense has made other teams work it down the field and the Cowboys have been able to capitalize on other team’s mistakes.
Cowboys Coach Garrett has said over and over that he wants his team to improve each week. Their record shows that they have done that. What he needs to now is improve his team’s end of the season performance. To do that he has to go at least 3-2 over the last five games. The Cowboys can ill afford to stumble the first week of December.
The Giants who are a game behind the Cowboys have to play the Packers on national TV. It would be nice if the Cowboys could be two games up on the Giants when they come to Dallas next week.
PREDICTION:
Dallas Cowboys 31
Arizona Cardinals 20
