The Dallas Cowboys have an intriguing task on Sunday when the team travels to Arizona to take on the Cardinals. Last season, the Cowboys left University of Phoenix Stadium as losers in a bizarre 27-26 loss to the Cardinals. This year, Dallas has a healthy Tony Romo and is currently riding a four-game winnings streak. However, Arizona isn’t going to roll over and play dead. Dallas must contain Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald and running back Beanie Wells to ensure a fifth straight win.
Just like last year’s contest, the Cardinals present reserve quarterback John Skelton as their starter. In two games this season, Skelton has only completed 18 passes for a total of 213 yards. Fitzgerald has only caught five of those passes for 73 yards. Skelton has yet to throw a touchdown, something Dallas hopes continues on Sunday.
During last year’s circus of a game, Fitzgerald only caught on pass against the Cowboys that went for 26 yards. Dallas’ pass defense ranked a lowly 26th in the NFL in 2010, giving up an average of 243 passing yards per game, so containing Fitzgerald seemed like quite an accomplishment. However, considering Skelton’s skill set and track record, it wasn’t very impressive at all.That game ended Fitzgerald’s 97-game streak with at least two catches, which is the fourth longest in NFL history. However, he simply cannot be taken lightly be any defense under any circumstances.
The Cowboys don’t have a defensive back that can matchup with Fitzgerald, so he’s a threat to catch the football if Skelton can get it anywhere near him. The main cause for concern here is the recent emergence of Wells, to whom the Cowboys will undoubtedly pay a lot of attention. That could lead to an open Fitzgerald and some big passing plays for Arizona.
Last week, Wells set a Cardinals team record with 228 rushing yards against the St. Louis Rams. There’s no way Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan will allow Wells to get loose like that again this week. After a short spurt of no run defense, the Cowboys seemed to have rediscovered how to stifle opposing running backs as neither the Washington Redskins nor Miami Dolphins got anywhere near 100 rushing yards the past two weeks.
The key for Dallas’ defense in this game is balance; the Cowboys must contain Wells while keeping a very close eye on Fitzgerald. Of course, getting frequent pressure on Skelton will eliminate the Cardinals’ passing game altogether, making it easy to focus on stopping Wells. Expect the Cowboys’ defense to be fired up and ready to avenge last year’s embarrassing loss.
Follow Jeric Griffin on Twitter @JericGriffin
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[...] Dallas Cowboys’ task of beating the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday just got a little more difficult. The Cowboys were primarily planning for stopping Cardinals running back Beanie Wells, but now receiver Larry Fitzgerald will be more lethal with the return of Arizona starting [...]
Looks like Kolb is going to start this week. Thank god.