DALLAS — The 2023 season had gotten off to a great start for the Dallas Cowboys, with them sitting at 2-0 and looking like the best team in the NFL. Then, along came a Thursday practice to prepare for the Week 3 contest against the 0-2 Arizona Cardinals to cast the first doubts on the new campaign.
The session brought a halt to the positive vibes surrounding the Cowboys as All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs suffered a season-ending ACL injury during the workout. Life will go on for the Cowboys, teams facing their own ailments certainly won’t feel sorry for them, but it's a big loss and the first test of adversity for a team that has been cruising along.
This is life in big boy football and the Cowboys will need to regroup quickly and play on the road against a Cardinals team that hasn’t played as poorly as their record suggests.
Here are the keys to coming out of Arizona a winner, a place that has been a house of horrors for the Cowboys – where they have lost of three of the last four since 2008:
Stop the run
The Cardinals don’t have an elite offense and found their starting quarterback just before the season began, so they’re still working their way through things in the passing game. Quarterback Joshua Dobbs leads an offense that throws for just 171 yards per game, but the rushing attack adds an additional 123.5 per game, good for 10th in the league.
Starting running back James Conner is the main option and has rushed for 168 yards through two games, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Conner is the biggest threat for a Cardinals’ offense that will try to run it often. Dobbs also pitches in with his legs, and the duo have accounted for the Cardinals’ two rushing scores this season.
Losing Diggs just before this game doesn’t feel like a huge problem for the Cowboys this week, as the Cardinals don’t have an elite passing attack. However, DaRon Bland and Jourdan Lewis could get tested on Sunday while the Dallas’ defense focuses on slowing down a running game that does most of the damage for the Arizona offense.
Protect Dak Prescott
While Arizona hasn’t played as poorly as some might have expected, there still isn’t much that they do well on defense, as they have given up over 109 yards per game on the ground and have allowed three rushing touchdowns. They do pressure the quarterback, though. With nine sacks through two games, the Cardinals are tied for second in the league, just one behind the Cowboys and Washington Commanders.
Linebacker Dennis Gardeck has three of those sacks, which is also tied for second in the league. The Arizona defense utilizes a third-down linebacker group that includes Gardeck to thrive at rushing the passer.
Linebackers have six of the Arizona defense’s nine sacks. If the Cowboys are going to win this game, they’ll need to limit the third downs and keep Prescott out of harm’s way.
Get ground game involved
The Cowboys have rushed for over 120 yards in each of their first two games, but they haven’t dominated on the ground yet. This could be the game to get the running game going. Tony Pollard has at least 70 yards in the first two contests, but he hasn’t been as efficient as Dallas has been used to. The fifth-year running back had a career-high 25 carries last week, a sign that the team isn’t afraid to let him shoulder the bulk of the carries.
However, expect the Cowboys to try to spread out the totes against the Cardinals. Backup running backs Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn should get their chances on the ground, as well. If the team wants to slow down the best part of Arizona’s defense – their pass rush – running the ball would keep them from attacking Prescott while keeping the chains moving and giving Dallas more manageable third downs.
Wearing down the Cardinals will be an important part to winning this game because Arizona is a team that struggles in the second half.
Win the first half
The Cardinals have played well in the first half of games, leading both contests at halftime. Yet it has been the second half, especially the fourth quarter, where they’ve struggled. Arizona has outscored opponents 33-10 over the first 30 minutes of games so far this season, only to be dominated by a score of 41-11 in the second half of games.
The NFC West squad has failed to score a fourth quarter point through two games and has been outscored 27-0 in the final stanza.
The Cowboys have been good at getting a lead and allowing their defense to close out games in the second half through the first two weeks. If Dallas can put up points early and force the Cardinals to play catchup, it will be difficult to see Arizona pulling off the upset.
Do you think the Cowboys will overcome injuries to start the season 3-0? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.
More Dallas Cowboys coverage: