FRISCO, Texas – Word to the wise.
Please, and not just for you, the Dallas Cowboys, too, do not under any circumstance take these Arizona Cardinals for granted.
Yeah, yeah, we all know the Cardinals are coming into the Monday Night Football game at AT&T Stadium with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on hand with but a 2-5 record, losers of five straight, with just the 22nd ranked offense and their top two running backs on the shelf.
But so what? You realize the Cardinals, in last place in the NFC West, have lost just one more game than the 3-4-1 Cowboys, still second place in the NFC East. Which is still the only division in football with just one team with a winning record, that being the Eagles, with a 6-2 record, trying to become the first team in the division to repeat as champs since 2004.
And we know these Cardinals coming off their bye, who have not won a game since Sept.14, and that is so long ago the time has already fallen back two midnights ago, own just two wins. But hey, they are just one win behind the Cowboys.
Just realize there are no cakewalks in this NFL. Go ask the Eagles. They already have lost to the 2-6 Giants and only beat these Cowboys by four points, and at home nonetheless, with the Cowboys having the ball one last possession down the stretch to possibly win the game. Go askthe 5-1-1 Packers, who only tied these Cowboys. Go ask the once 3-0 Chargers losing to the Giants. Go ask Buffalo, losers to New England, and how many thought at the near halfway point the Patriots would be in first place in the AFC East.
Or go ask the perennial Super Bowl favorite Kansas City Chiefs, losers to Jacksonville. At one point before their current three-game winning streak, they were sitting at 2-3.
Sometimes, some days, no matter who you are, it's just not in the cards.
So beware these Cards, and about all the Cowboys have going for them on this Monday night is already being 2-0-1 this year at the AT&T. And the fact in this teeter-totter season of lose one, win one, lose one, tie one, win one, lose one, win one, lose one, if they are to follow this frustrating script of inconsistency, well, it's time to win one just because, having nothing to do with who they are playing.
A team unable to win two consecutive games this season would do themselves a favor by not losing two consecutive and rendering an unenviable 3-5-1 record to stew over going into next week's bye and Tuesday's trade deadline, which we will get to in a moment.
And for another reason, after playing the 2-5 Raiders coming out of the bye, the Cowboysface that predetermined gosh awfully intimidating gauntlet of Eagles, Chiefs, Lions, Vikings, Chargers. And at the time we thought also the rough and tough Commanders, though maybe now not so much at 3-5 and losers of three straight. But it's there on Christmas Day, and as we know, the erstwhile Washingtons have never been kind hosts to be bringing presents of any sort, the reminder being they are on their way back to the spooky grounds of RFK.
Here is another stat that should be on the Cowboys whiteboard, or whatever social media device these young kids use today: During the Cardinals' five-game losing streak, they have lost games by one point to Seattle, three to San Francisco, one to Tennessee, four to Indianapolis and four to Green Bay, a combined alarm-warning 13 points. Plus, they've held fourth-quarter leads in all five games. Four of those five opponents have winning records, three of those are division leaders. And get this, the combined record of all five is 23-14-1, and if you take the 1-7 Titans out of the equation that would be 22-7-1, so the Cards losing out to four of a kind.
Then let's insert this into equation as an X-factor that must be solved for sure. The Cardinals' starting quarterback Kyler Murray is preparing to return after missing the past two games with a foot injury, and unable to finish a third, leaving him an improved "limited" in practice this week.
And by now, everyone has been inundated with the fact the kid from nearby Allen High School, then Texas A&M and Oklahoma, plus two games with the Cardinals, is a perfect 9-0 when playing at AT&T Stadium where he won three Texas Class 6A state championship games. Dak Prescott, after at first feigning not knowing Murray is 2-0 with the Cardinals at the big house playing the Cowboys, quickly pointed out he did not play in one of them, back in 2020, the 38-10 loss.
Oh, and not that this has anything to do with this year and these teams, but Arizona has won seven of the last eight meetings with the Cowboys. Just got to hope that menacing-looking Cardinal eye on the helmet is not as intimidating as designed to be.
And if none of this isn't sobering enough, just remember in the past three practices, Cowboys starting safeties Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson were over at the end of the practice field still rehabilitating injuries that have kept them both out the previous game, including Hooker the past four. At least "Yey" (i.e. safety Juanyeh Thomas), after missing the past two games with the limited eyesight effects of migraine headaches, has practiced on a limited basis this week. Seemed to know where he's been going.
But still no Trevon Diggs, placed on injured reserve this past Friday. At least he was doing some on-field running Thursday, seemingly coming close to coming out of concussion protocol soon but still bothered by a nagging problem with what was thought to be his "good" knee (right).
All the last things the NFL's 31st ranked total defense and 31st ranked pass defense needsto still be dealing with. And to add another layer to this worrisome equation, now having to face the dual-threat Murray at quarterback, who leads the Cardinals in rushing yards with 179 yards on just 29 carries (6.0) despite missing the past two games. And we are aware of the Cowboys'problems dealing with not only him but mobile quarterbacks in general, Murray adding to those problems with 118 rushing yards against the Cowboys in those two wins.
Got your attention yet?
Schotty, feel free to flash them up there on the team meeting room's big screen for emphasis.
Plus, with the NFL trade deadline looming Tuesday, less than 24 hours after this 7:15 p.m. start, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is keenly aware of where his team is, where he hopes it is emerging from this game, and must decide if he can qualify making a trade to not only help this team immediately but also in the future. But a loss might set a discouraging tone for acquiring an eight-game rental in the final year of his contract by Tuesday.
While the wildcatting Jones' eyes are wide open to the possibilities of improving his roster, Jerry knows trading for one player over the next few days won't totally fix this defense. Would help, though, and please name the position of most need – defensive line, linebacker, cornerback, safety – since one of each probably is out of the question.
So these are the NFL waters the Cowboys are treading in entering the Monday night game against the Arizona Cardinals. And while assuming no tie, the Cowboys will emerge an even 4-4-1 or a distasteful 3-5-1.
"As for us, as a team, I know we all have the same mind. We're all very understanding of what's going on, and the situation that we're in. We're putting ourselves in it," Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lambs said. "So urgency, nah, it's always been there to win a couple of games back-to-back and continue on that road. … But I feel we haven't done that yet.
"I feel if we start here this weekend on Monday night with a win, bye week, then come off the bye week ready to roll."
CeeDee is right, so first things first, making sure on Monday night Arizona doesn't turn AT&T into a House of Cards.
