3 key matchups for the Cowboys in Week 3 against Arizona
The 2-0 Cowboys are understandably favored over the 0-2 Arizona team they’ll be facing in Week 3.
Dallas is widely considered one of the best teams in the NFL, while the Cardinals are in the running for the first overall pick in the 2024 draft.
But a loss on Sunday wouldn’t be the first time a heavily favored Dallas team fell to the Cardinals on the road. As Ben Grimaldi breaks down in his game preview, the Cowboys are 1-5 in their last six matchups in the dessert.
As history has shown, the better team hasn’t always won, and the Cowboys will need to win a few key matchups in order to ensure victory over their former divisional foe.
Key matchup No. 1: Dennis Gardeck vs Terence Steele
The Cardinals may lack name recognition with many of their defensive players but they’re actually a fairly accomplished unit. They’re tied for third most sacks in the league this season and are just one shy of the Cowboys’ impressive total of 10.
Arizona’s sack leader, Dennis Gardeck, leads the squad in sacks. He’s a fan favorite and blue-collar veteran who rushes from the LB position in a two-point stance off the edge.
Because the Cardinals play so many odd man fronts and bear fronts, LBs provide the bulk of their pressure. Gardeck is usually that guy.
His primary target on the Dallas offensive line will likely be RT Terence Steele.
Steele is the weak link on the offensive line in matters of pass protection. He hasn’t given up a sack this season, but he’s given up a team leading three pressures, two hits and two penalties.
PFF grading, which typically adores Steele’s run blocking, has a 36.9 pass blocking grade for the Dallas RT. That makes him the fourth-lowest graded OT in the NFL and the lowest graded lineman on the Cowboys.
Gardeck can rush from either side but look for the Cardinals to target Steele on the right.
Key matchup No. 2: James Connor vs Dallas' right side of D-line
The blueprint to beating the Cowboys hasn’t changed since the season began. The best way to succeed is to run the ball early and often. It minimizes the impact of the Cowboys pass-rushers and slows the game down in the process.
Even with Johnathan Hankins and Mazi Smith, the Cowboys lack girth in their interior. Their LB unit was so thin heading into the season, Dallas had to convert a safety to fill the open LB spot (Markquese Bell). And since their ball-hawking secondary isn’t always eager to engage against the run, all three layers of the defense have questions against the run.
With James Connor, the Cardinals have one of the NFL’s more capable backs at their disposal. He’s currently averaging 4.5 yards per carry with 3.08 of those yards coming after contact. He’s strong in the receiving game and at 6-foot-1, 233 yards, he’s built for a hefty workload.
Most of Connor’s opportunities have gone to the left. Left side runs account for 22 of his 37 runs this season and it’s a trend that continues from 2022.
This puts most of the onus on the Cowboys’ right side of the line. Dallas has to keep their rotation fresh and prepared because Arizona will likely be running in that direction with Conner.
The offense runs through Conner so if the Cowboys can stop him, he’ll have good control of the game.
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Key matchup No. 3: Zach Ertz vs Jayron Kearse
Ertz doesn’t jump off the screen as a very dangerous weapon. The 32-year-old TE is a take-what-the-defense-gives-him kind of player in Arizona. But it’s death by a thousand cuts with Ertz so if defenses aren’t careful, he can change the game.
Josh Dobbs leans on his TE often. Ertz’s 18 targets this season is tops on the team and Dobbs consistently looks his way when the chains need to be moved.
While stopping Ertz will likely be a group responsibility, it’s Kearse, Dallas’ box safety, who usually gets assigned the TE in situations such as this.
It also worth noting, the only personnel group that is producing a positive EPA for Arizona is their 12 personnel. And on 61 percent of those two TE packages, they throw the ball.
If the Cowboys can win these three matchups, they should have no problem dispatching the Cardinals in Week 3.
