NFL Preview - Arizona (2-4) At Dallas (4-3)
POSTED: 1:33 pm PDT October 27, 2005
By Tony Moss, NFL Editor -- The Dallas Cowboys showed how quickly an NFL team can go from the penthouse to the outhouse last Sunday.
Then-first-place Dallas looked well on its way to a 5-2 start in the waning moments of last week's game with Seattle, holding a 10-3 lead as the clock ticked under a minute to play. But a game-tying one-yard touchdown pass by the Seahawks' Matt Hasselbeck to tight end Ryan Hannam with 40 seconds left was followed by an interception for Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe, which led to a game-winning 50-yard field goal by Seattle's Josh Brown at the final gun. Just like that, the Cowboys were 13-10 losers, and with the Eagles, Giants, and Redskins all winning, "America's Team" dropped into last place in the crowded NFC East.
Bill Parcells and company will this week be seeking to bounce back when the Arizona Cardinals visit Texas Stadium.
Arizona was a 20-10 winner over Tennessee last Sunday, the team's first win at Sun Devil Stadium this season. At 2-4, the Cardinals are in third place in the NFC West, two-and-a-half games back of division-leading Seattle.
SERIES HISTORY
Dallas has a 53-27-1 lead in its all-time regular season series with Arizona, and was a 24-7 home winner in the last such matchup, during the 2003 campaign. The Cardinals' most recent win in the series came by a 9-6 count in overtime in 2002. Arizona has lost 13 straight regular season games held in Dallas since last winning there in 1989.
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.
Cardinals head coach Dennis Green is 4-3 all-time against the Cowboys, including a loss for his Vikings in a 1996 NFC First-Round Playoff and a win for Minnesota in a 1999 NFC First-Round Playoff. Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells is 15-4-1 in his career against the Cardinals, and has won nine straight since his Giants lost in Arizona during the 1988 season. Parcells is 2-0 head-to-head against Green, winning one each while with the Patriots and Jets.
CARDINALS OFFENSE VS. COWBOYS DEFENSE
Arizona will be sticking with quarterback Josh McCown (1072 passing yards, 5 TD, 6 INT) behind center this week, as McCown has gone 2-1 as a starter since taking over for the injured Kurt Warner (groin). McCown was limited to 140 yards on 12-of-28 passing with a touchdown and an interception last Sunday, but threw for 375 and 398 yards in the team's two games prior to the Tennessee win. Wideouts Larry Fitzgerald (40 receptions, 4 TD) and Anquan Boldin (36 receptions, 2 TD) will again serve as McCown's primary targets. Fitzgerald led the way with four catches for 71 yards and a 34-yard touchdown grab in last week's game, while Boldin was held without a catch but had 15 yards on a pair of rushes. Third receiver Bryant Johnson (13 receptions), who has developed into something of a reliable target, had two catches for 21 yards against the Titans. Adam Bergen (5 receptions), who had one reception last Sunday, offers a capable target when the Cardinals use a tight end. McCown was sacked four times last Sunday, and a thin Arizona line has now surrendered 19 sacks on the year. The Cardinals are fourth in the league in passing offense (273.3 yards per game) as Week 8 begins.
The Dallas secondary made some plays against Seattle's Hasselbeck last Sunday, intercepting the quarterback twice in the game. Cornerback Terence Newman (25 tackles, 2 INT, 1 sack) and strong safety Roy Williams (37 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 1 INT) both had picks in the contest, and Newman was also credited with a forced fumble and five tackles. Newman and fellow corner Anthony Henry (35 tackles, 2 INT) will be responsible for containing Fitzgerald and Boldin on Sunday. Seeking to apply pressure on McCown will be a Dallas pass rush that sacked Hasselbeck just once last Sunday. That sack went to inside linebacker Bradie James, his first of the year. Outside linebacker Demarcus Ware (22 tackles, 4 sacks) and end Greg Ellis (16 tackles, 3.5 sacks) will be among those attempting to locate McCown early and often in Week 8. Dallas is 14th in the league in passing defense (200.9 yards per game).
The Cardinals have yet to get any semblance of a running game going, with neither Marcel Shipp (177 rushing yards, 19 receptions) nor rookie J.J. Arrington (71 rushing yards, 8 receptions) gaining much in the way of yardage. Arrington led the Cardinals with 30 ground yards on five carries last week, while Shipp was limited to 8 yards on 14 carries but had three catches for 34 yards out of the backfield. Shipp is averaging 2.5 yards per rush, and Arrington is going for 2.4 a run. The Cardinals, who are 31st in the league in rushing offense (71.2 yards per game), ahead of only Philadelphia, have yet to score their first ground touchdown of 2005.
The Arizona running backs will be operating against a Dallas defense that ranks seventh in the league against the run (91.7 yards per game), and limited Seahawks All-Pro Shaun Alexander to 61 yards on 21 carries last Sunday. Linebackers James (30 tackles, 1 sack) and Scott Fujita (12 tackles) were at the heart of that effort, combining for 11 tackles in the loss. Inside linebacker Dat Nguyen (25 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT), who has missed the last three games with a stinger in his neck, is expected to suit up against the Cardinals. In the trenches, linemen La'Roi Glover (13 tackles, 3 sacks) and Jason Ferguson (12 tackles) will attempt to set the tone. Both were credited with one tackle against Seattle.
COWBOYS OFFENSE VS. CARDINALS DEFENSE
Bledsoe (1799 passing yards, 12 TD, 6 INT) has been among the NFL's most productive quarterbacks in 2005, but will come into Sunday's game with a cloud hanging over his head following last week's costly miscue. Bledsoe was having a below-average day even before the interception, and finished with just 136 yards passing on 13-of-24 completions with a touchdown pass and a pair of interceptions. The scoring strike went to Keyshawn Johnson (31 receptions, 4 TD) from five yards out in the first quarter. Johnson posted four catches for 28 yards on the day, and fellow starting wideout Terry Glenn (33 receptions, 3 TD) was limited to 35 yards on four catches in the contest. Third wideout Peerless Price saw his first extensive action as a Cowboy against Seattle, turning in a 19-yard catch. Tight end Jason Witten (30 receptions, 2 TD) is currently third on the Cowboys in receptions, but could see his pass-catching role minimized due to blocking needs caused by the season-ending knee injury to left tackle Flozell Adams. The Dallas line has allowed 17 sacks on the year, including five last week. The Cowboys rank ninth in the league in passing offense (240.1 yards per game).
Arizona received a huge play from its secondary last Sunday, when cornerback David Macklin (14 tackles, 1 INT) picked off a Billy Volek pass and scampered 60 yards to the end zone for a pivotal second quarter touchdown. Elsewhere in the secondary, free safety Adrian Wilson (41 tackles) contributed a team-high eight solo tackles, and strong safety Robert Griffith (32 tackles) had a forced fumble. The Cardinal pass rush accounted for three sacks of Volek, including two for end Chike Okeafor (21 tackles, 3 sacks). Fellow DE Bertrand Berry (26 tackles) leads the Cardinals with five sacks on the year but has been held out of that category for Arizona's last two games. The Cards are 19th in the league in passing defense (207.5 yards per game).
Dallas will begin yet another game with the health status of running back Julius Jones (407 rushing yards, 3 TD) in question. Jones has missed the last two games with a sprained ankle, and is questionable for this week. Parcells has used rookies Marion Barber III (126 rushing yards) and Tyson Thompson (161 yards) to spell Jones along with veteran Anthony Thomas (80 rushing yards), but it is Barber that comes into Week 8 with the "hot hand". The Minnesota product carried 22 times for a game-high 95 yards last Sunday. Thompson and Thomas had six carries each in the defeat, totaling 53 yards to aide the cause. Fullback Lousaka Polite had one rush for six yards against Seattle. The Cowboys currently rank 14th in the league in rushing offense (119 yards per game).
The Cardinals are ranked a respectable 12th in the NFL against the run (103.3 yards per game) this season, and come off a week in which they held Titans running backs to 67 yards on 22 carries. Linebackers Karlos Dansby (38 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 INT) and James Darling (13 tackles), who combined for 13 tackles in the win, were at the forefront of that effort. Dansby also had a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and his third sack of the year in the contest. The team's best run-stuffer in the trenches has been tackle Darnell Dockett (12 tackles, 1 INT), who had five stops in last Sunday's win.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
Dallas will come into this game fighting mad over the way it lost to Seattle last week, and should be focused to beat an inferior team while at least keeping pace in the division. The Cowboy pass rush should get to McCown consistently, and on the other side of the ball, Bledsoe and his receivers should be able to accrue some mileage. Look for Dallas to build a comfortable early lead and cruise to a decisive victory.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Cowboys 30, Cardinals 10
POSTED: 1:33 pm PDT October 27, 2005
By Tony Moss, NFL Editor -- The Dallas Cowboys showed how quickly an NFL team can go from the penthouse to the outhouse last Sunday.
Then-first-place Dallas looked well on its way to a 5-2 start in the waning moments of last week's game with Seattle, holding a 10-3 lead as the clock ticked under a minute to play. But a game-tying one-yard touchdown pass by the Seahawks' Matt Hasselbeck to tight end Ryan Hannam with 40 seconds left was followed by an interception for Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe, which led to a game-winning 50-yard field goal by Seattle's Josh Brown at the final gun. Just like that, the Cowboys were 13-10 losers, and with the Eagles, Giants, and Redskins all winning, "America's Team" dropped into last place in the crowded NFC East.
Bill Parcells and company will this week be seeking to bounce back when the Arizona Cardinals visit Texas Stadium.
Arizona was a 20-10 winner over Tennessee last Sunday, the team's first win at Sun Devil Stadium this season. At 2-4, the Cardinals are in third place in the NFC West, two-and-a-half games back of division-leading Seattle.
SERIES HISTORY
Dallas has a 53-27-1 lead in its all-time regular season series with Arizona, and was a 24-7 home winner in the last such matchup, during the 2003 campaign. The Cardinals' most recent win in the series came by a 9-6 count in overtime in 2002. Arizona has lost 13 straight regular season games held in Dallas since last winning there in 1989.
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.
Cardinals head coach Dennis Green is 4-3 all-time against the Cowboys, including a loss for his Vikings in a 1996 NFC First-Round Playoff and a win for Minnesota in a 1999 NFC First-Round Playoff. Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells is 15-4-1 in his career against the Cardinals, and has won nine straight since his Giants lost in Arizona during the 1988 season. Parcells is 2-0 head-to-head against Green, winning one each while with the Patriots and Jets.
CARDINALS OFFENSE VS. COWBOYS DEFENSE
Arizona will be sticking with quarterback Josh McCown (1072 passing yards, 5 TD, 6 INT) behind center this week, as McCown has gone 2-1 as a starter since taking over for the injured Kurt Warner (groin). McCown was limited to 140 yards on 12-of-28 passing with a touchdown and an interception last Sunday, but threw for 375 and 398 yards in the team's two games prior to the Tennessee win. Wideouts Larry Fitzgerald (40 receptions, 4 TD) and Anquan Boldin (36 receptions, 2 TD) will again serve as McCown's primary targets. Fitzgerald led the way with four catches for 71 yards and a 34-yard touchdown grab in last week's game, while Boldin was held without a catch but had 15 yards on a pair of rushes. Third receiver Bryant Johnson (13 receptions), who has developed into something of a reliable target, had two catches for 21 yards against the Titans. Adam Bergen (5 receptions), who had one reception last Sunday, offers a capable target when the Cardinals use a tight end. McCown was sacked four times last Sunday, and a thin Arizona line has now surrendered 19 sacks on the year. The Cardinals are fourth in the league in passing offense (273.3 yards per game) as Week 8 begins.
The Dallas secondary made some plays against Seattle's Hasselbeck last Sunday, intercepting the quarterback twice in the game. Cornerback Terence Newman (25 tackles, 2 INT, 1 sack) and strong safety Roy Williams (37 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 1 INT) both had picks in the contest, and Newman was also credited with a forced fumble and five tackles. Newman and fellow corner Anthony Henry (35 tackles, 2 INT) will be responsible for containing Fitzgerald and Boldin on Sunday. Seeking to apply pressure on McCown will be a Dallas pass rush that sacked Hasselbeck just once last Sunday. That sack went to inside linebacker Bradie James, his first of the year. Outside linebacker Demarcus Ware (22 tackles, 4 sacks) and end Greg Ellis (16 tackles, 3.5 sacks) will be among those attempting to locate McCown early and often in Week 8. Dallas is 14th in the league in passing defense (200.9 yards per game).
The Cardinals have yet to get any semblance of a running game going, with neither Marcel Shipp (177 rushing yards, 19 receptions) nor rookie J.J. Arrington (71 rushing yards, 8 receptions) gaining much in the way of yardage. Arrington led the Cardinals with 30 ground yards on five carries last week, while Shipp was limited to 8 yards on 14 carries but had three catches for 34 yards out of the backfield. Shipp is averaging 2.5 yards per rush, and Arrington is going for 2.4 a run. The Cardinals, who are 31st in the league in rushing offense (71.2 yards per game), ahead of only Philadelphia, have yet to score their first ground touchdown of 2005.
The Arizona running backs will be operating against a Dallas defense that ranks seventh in the league against the run (91.7 yards per game), and limited Seahawks All-Pro Shaun Alexander to 61 yards on 21 carries last Sunday. Linebackers James (30 tackles, 1 sack) and Scott Fujita (12 tackles) were at the heart of that effort, combining for 11 tackles in the loss. Inside linebacker Dat Nguyen (25 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT), who has missed the last three games with a stinger in his neck, is expected to suit up against the Cardinals. In the trenches, linemen La'Roi Glover (13 tackles, 3 sacks) and Jason Ferguson (12 tackles) will attempt to set the tone. Both were credited with one tackle against Seattle.
COWBOYS OFFENSE VS. CARDINALS DEFENSE
Bledsoe (1799 passing yards, 12 TD, 6 INT) has been among the NFL's most productive quarterbacks in 2005, but will come into Sunday's game with a cloud hanging over his head following last week's costly miscue. Bledsoe was having a below-average day even before the interception, and finished with just 136 yards passing on 13-of-24 completions with a touchdown pass and a pair of interceptions. The scoring strike went to Keyshawn Johnson (31 receptions, 4 TD) from five yards out in the first quarter. Johnson posted four catches for 28 yards on the day, and fellow starting wideout Terry Glenn (33 receptions, 3 TD) was limited to 35 yards on four catches in the contest. Third wideout Peerless Price saw his first extensive action as a Cowboy against Seattle, turning in a 19-yard catch. Tight end Jason Witten (30 receptions, 2 TD) is currently third on the Cowboys in receptions, but could see his pass-catching role minimized due to blocking needs caused by the season-ending knee injury to left tackle Flozell Adams. The Dallas line has allowed 17 sacks on the year, including five last week. The Cowboys rank ninth in the league in passing offense (240.1 yards per game).
Arizona received a huge play from its secondary last Sunday, when cornerback David Macklin (14 tackles, 1 INT) picked off a Billy Volek pass and scampered 60 yards to the end zone for a pivotal second quarter touchdown. Elsewhere in the secondary, free safety Adrian Wilson (41 tackles) contributed a team-high eight solo tackles, and strong safety Robert Griffith (32 tackles) had a forced fumble. The Cardinal pass rush accounted for three sacks of Volek, including two for end Chike Okeafor (21 tackles, 3 sacks). Fellow DE Bertrand Berry (26 tackles) leads the Cardinals with five sacks on the year but has been held out of that category for Arizona's last two games. The Cards are 19th in the league in passing defense (207.5 yards per game).
Dallas will begin yet another game with the health status of running back Julius Jones (407 rushing yards, 3 TD) in question. Jones has missed the last two games with a sprained ankle, and is questionable for this week. Parcells has used rookies Marion Barber III (126 rushing yards) and Tyson Thompson (161 yards) to spell Jones along with veteran Anthony Thomas (80 rushing yards), but it is Barber that comes into Week 8 with the "hot hand". The Minnesota product carried 22 times for a game-high 95 yards last Sunday. Thompson and Thomas had six carries each in the defeat, totaling 53 yards to aide the cause. Fullback Lousaka Polite had one rush for six yards against Seattle. The Cowboys currently rank 14th in the league in rushing offense (119 yards per game).
The Cardinals are ranked a respectable 12th in the NFL against the run (103.3 yards per game) this season, and come off a week in which they held Titans running backs to 67 yards on 22 carries. Linebackers Karlos Dansby (38 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 INT) and James Darling (13 tackles), who combined for 13 tackles in the win, were at the forefront of that effort. Dansby also had a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and his third sack of the year in the contest. The team's best run-stuffer in the trenches has been tackle Darnell Dockett (12 tackles, 1 INT), who had five stops in last Sunday's win.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
Dallas will come into this game fighting mad over the way it lost to Seattle last week, and should be focused to beat an inferior team while at least keeping pace in the division. The Cowboy pass rush should get to McCown consistently, and on the other side of the ball, Bledsoe and his receivers should be able to accrue some mileage. Look for Dallas to build a comfortable early lead and cruise to a decisive victory.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Cowboys 30, Cardinals 10
