3 competitive advantages the Arizona Cardinals have over the Cowboys in Week 3
By Sion Fawkes
The Arizona Cardinals have the slimmest of chances to beat the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3, so it should go without saying that it was a chess game to find three competitive advantages for the Redbirds in this one. But if you look closely, and when I say “closely,” I mean with a microscope, the Cards indeed have a few things going their way.
Below, you will find all three of them, and yes, two of the three listed will involve a bit of luck. But hey, that’s what happens when your depleted 0-2 team is facing arguably the league’s best. And no, I did not cite luck itself as an advantage, though you will see why some of it is necessary in the following sections.
3 advantages the Cardinals have over the Cowboys
1 - Under-the-radar talents
If there is one major competitive advantage to being one of the NFL’s least-relevant teams, it’s the sheer number of under-the-radar talents you likely possess. The Dallas Cowboys will be keying on a few players named Zach Ertz, James Conner, and Marquise Brown, which could leave the window open for the likes of league unknowns like Trey McBride, Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch, and Rondale Moore.
Ertz and Brown may be the Cardinals leading pass catchers, but you can argue that Michael Wilson has been their best overall receiver. So far, Wilson has just five catches, but he’s also averaging 15.0 yards per reception. He also has an outrageous receiving success rate of 71.4%, compared to just 46.7% for Brown and a measly 44.4% for Ertz.
McBride is also in that camp, posting a success rate of 80.0% on four catches for five targets. And with 55 receiving yards, McBride is also averaging 13.8 yards per catch. This could be bad news for Dallas, as again, they can’t afford to leave Brown and Ertz unchecked. But if they don’t account for McBride and Wilson, the Cards might just make them pay.