3 ways the Arizona Cardinals can pull off a historic upset in Week 3
By Sion Fawkes
The Arizona Cardinals vs. the Dallas Cowboys brings back the shades of what was a one-sided rivalry in the NFC East back when the division had five teams. But lately, as in the last 15 years kind of lately, the Redbirds have won six out of the last seven meetings, so perhaps this one is that inevitable “trap game” for the Cowboys.
That can be the case if the Cardinals play to their team’s strengths which will involve a strong running game, doing enough to make quarterback Dak Prescott’s life rough for a few hours, and pinning his offense deep in their own territory. Let’s discuss each key the Cardinals must possess to steal a win in what many would consider to be a major upset.
How can the Arizona Cardinals upset the Cowboys in Week 3?
1 - Wear down the defense
In a previous article, I stated that James Conner would be the Cardinals MVP for the week. But let’s extend that notion, and state that Conner, tight end Zach Ertz, and Josh Dobbs all need to bring their A-game if the Cards have any hope of challenging the Cowboys.
Conner is and should be the lifeblood of the offense, and they need to give him the rock for as long as he’s effective. But there will come a point in the game when the Cards must mix things up to prevent themselves from getting too predictable. This is when the short passing game will become paramount. And as Zach Ertz showed us in the previous two weeks, his surehandedness isn’t going away any time soon.
The Cards are still major underdogs to win this game even if they wear down the Cowboys defense throughout the contest. But they will at least give themselves more than a fighting chance if they can pull it off.