On Deck: Arizona Cardinals

On Deck will be here all season to provide you with everything you need to know (and a few things you don't) about every Cowboys game during the 2014 season.

The Opponent: The Cardinals are cooking offensively since the return of Carson Palmer from a scary nerve condition that looked to possibly be career threatening, but now all is good in Glendale. Larry Fitzgerald had his best game in ages on Sunday in the Cardinals' big win over the Eagles, and the Cardinals also sport one of the league's best defenses who enjoys blitzing. We all saw how that worked out for the Cowboys last week against the Redskins. The Cowboys will have their hands full in their quest to improve to 7-2 on the season.

Past Meetings: The Cowboys hold the all-time lead by a considerable margin, 55-31-1. The Cardinals have won the last three meetings between the teams — all in Arizona and two in overtime — but they haven't played since 2011.

Key Matchup: Cowboys OL vs. Cardinals Front Seven — We saw what happened against the Redskins when they blitzed the hell out of Dallas. Tony Romo got beat up. The Cardinals like to blitz, and they saw that game on Monday night, so you can expect more of the same. Of course, it's not all on the O-line. The Cowboys needs more help in pass protection from DeMarco Murray and tight ends, especially if the less mobile Brandon Weeden is under center instead of Romo.

Who's Hot: Larry Fitzgerald is still among the living, apparently, as he had his biggest game in a long, long time with a 160-yard output and a long touchdown reception when he outraced the Eagles' secondary and flashed some speed of old. Carson Palmer threw for 329 yards and two scores, and the Cardinals picked off Nick Foles twice.

DeMarco Murray continued his assualt on the record books with his eighth straight 100-yard rushing game to start the season. He rushed for 141 yards on just 19 carries and also racked up 80 receiving yards on five catches. Jason Witten had five grabs for 70 yards and a big fourth-quarter touchdown.

Who's Not: Patrick Peterson is one of the best cornerbacks in football and is destined to lock down on Dez Bryant for 60 minutes on Sunday, but he might not be available after suffering a concussion in Sunday's win over the Eagles. Michael Floyd, the Cardinals' new No. 1 receiver was held without a catch on Sunday.

Sports Connection

Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.

TWU plans ways for fans to watch NCAA Division II championship game

Baltimore Orioles honor bridge collapse victims before Opening Day

The Cowboys defense had its worst game of the year thanks to admittedly subpar performances from Barry Church and Rolando McClain. Dez Bryant caught just three balls with an unheralded rookie corner on him the whole night and also dropped a key pass that would've gone for a touchdown before the Cowboys had to settle for a field goal.

Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
Contact Us