FRISCO, Texas – They say that bye weeks never come at a bad time, and the Cowboys have a chance to go into their bye at 4-4-1 with a win on Monday night and control their own destiny in the back half of the season.
The first part though, of course, is beating the Arizona Cardinals at AT&T Stadium on Monday. The Cardinals come in with a 2-5 record, but could have their starting QB in Kyler Murray back which changes everything, especially in Arlington.
In this week's Here We Goooo, a look at how the Cowboys can come away with a victory ahead of their break:
Find Kyler's kryptonite
Whether you believe in magic or not, the truth is that something different gets into Kyler Murray when he takes the field at AT&T Stadium. He's a perfect 9-0 when playing there dating back to his days at Allen High School, and has won both of his NFL games against the Cowboys there in his professional career.
Sure, the state championships and college games that Murray played at AT&T have no meaning towards Monday night. Except for the fact that what made him one of the greatest high school football quarterbacks of all time and a number one overall pick in the NFL Draft is his ability to extend plays with his legs.
Murray has only played five games this season, rushing 29 times for 173 yards and a touchdown. What makes him so difficult to bring down is the combination of his elusiveness and size, at 5'10 and 207 pounds, he can slip would-be tacklers easy and is quick in and out of his cuts.
After missing the last two games with a foot injury and having an extra week to nurse it during Arizona's bye week, Murray will likely get the start on Monday back in his home state. However it may be, the Cowboys' defense will need to find Murray's kryptonite and end his winning streak at AT&T Stadium.
The difficult part? Stopping his ability to use his legs. The Cowboys have given up the most rushing yards to quarterbacks in the NFL this season, with 220 yards on 48 carries and three touchdowns. They'll need to force Murray to beat them through the air, and the secondary will need to account for his favorite target Trey McBride, who we'll discuss a bit later.
Load up pressure against the tackles
Brian Schottenheimer has admitted that the Cowboys' defense struggles when they don't get pressure on the quarterback. They have a chance to do that against Kyler Murray on Monday, especially if they get after Arizona's tackles.
At right tackle, Jonah Williams has given up the sixth-most pressures in the NFL (37) and the fourth-most sacks (6.5) this season among offensive linemen. On the left side, former first-round pick Paris Johnson has been better, but has still given up 29 pressures and two sacks this year. That's where the offensive line is most vulnerable, and that's where Dallas has the biggest chance to get a step up on defense.
Well, who can get them pressure off the edge, an area that the Cowboys have struggled in this season? How about rookie second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku who has seen an uptick in snaps and is making the most of it both against the run and the pass. Ezeiruaku is second on the team in pressures with 17, trailing Kenny Clark, Dante Fowler and Sam Williams who are tied with 18.
The difference? Ezeiruaku has the least amount of pass rushing snaps among that entire group with 133. It was no accident that Ezeiruaku led the country in sacks last year during his final year at Boston College. He's only got one this year, but Monday night serves as an opportunity for him to bump that number up, as it does for the entire Cowboys defense.
Take Trey McBride out of the equation
And if Dallas is able to get pressure, it gets easier to handle things in the secondary and especially against tight end Trey McBride, who is one of the best in the league at his position.
This season, McBride has the fourth-most receiving yards amongst all tight ends (421) and four touchdowns to go along with it. This season, Dallas' defense has allowed 46 receptions to tight ends for 415 yards and two touchdowns.
McBride is a bit different from some of the other tight ends that Dallas has faced this year, though. Not only can he make plays on the receiving end of things, but he can function really well as an in-line blocker and has helped paved the way for Arizona's run game, which is averaging 110.4 yards a game on the ground despite not having their starter, James Conner, who is out for the season.
Usually, tight ends get lined up on safeties or slot corners when lined up out wide. Gulp, to say the least, considering the injuries that Dallas has in the safety room. It's still unclear who they'll have available after not having their starters against Denver, then losing both Juanyeh Thomas and Alijah Clark, and not having Clark for Monday night and the status' of Thomas and Donovan Wilson in the air.
