The Dallas Cowboys get back to work in Week 8 with a home date against the Arizona Cardinals, and the setup looks dangerous in all the usual trap-game ways.
Dallas is coming off a win over the Philadelphia Eagles, but the larger picture still hangs over this team: the Cowboys are 3-4, they have not strung together back-to-back victories, and they need to start stacking wins if they want any shot at catching the New York Giants in the NFC East. Arizona, meanwhile, arrives at 2-5 after dropping five of its last six since opening the season with a win.
That record alone might tempt people to treat Sunday like a soft landing spot. It isn’t.
The Cowboys have already shown they can trip over games they’re supposed to control, including losses to the New York Giants in Week 1 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5. Arizona has also already shown it can spring an upset, having knocked off the Los Angeles Rams in Week 6.
One of the more obvious concerns for Dallas is what the Cardinals can do through the air, even if their passing numbers don’t jump off the page. Arizona ranks 19th in the league in passing yards per game, but the bigger issue is that the Cowboys’ pass defense has been vulnerable enough to make average quarterbacks look dangerous. Jacoby Brissett may not be viewed as a top-tier passer, but he is competent, and he has help in tight end Trey McBride and receiver Michael Wilson.
That matters because Dallas’ defense has to deal with every part of the field these days. If the Cowboys are going to keep points off the board, they can’t afford breakdowns anywhere, including in the kicking game.
Special teams is another area that should keep Dallas alert. Arizona is averaging 27.1 yards per kickoff return, which ranks ninth in the NFL.
The Cardinals recently lost one of their returners, Jalen Brooks, to injury, but Devin Duvernay remains a threat. Duvernay is averaging 28.1 yards per return, good for 12th, and he also handles punt returns even if he has not had the same success there.
He still has the kind of burst that can flip field position in a hurry.
Up front and off the edge, Arizona has enough pass-rush juice to make things uncomfortable too. Josh Sweat and Darius Robinson have only two sacks apiece, but neither is a name Dallas can shrug off.
Sweat has reached double-digit sacks twice over the last four seasons, and he got to the Cowboys for two sacks in the 2025 meeting. Robinson has already passed his career-high sack total, a sign of how far he has come.
Then there is Budda Baker, who adds another wrinkle as a blitz threat. He has been especially effective as a disruptor and leads the Cardinals with 3.5 sacks this season. That is not ideal for a Cowboys offense that has had trouble dealing with the blitz in 2026.
So while the matchup may look straightforward on the surface - a 3-4 team hosting a 2-5 opponent - the details tell a different story. Arizona has enough pieces to make this uncomfortable, and the Cowboys’ recent history suggests they cannot afford to assume anything.
In Other News...
Cowboys May Have Finally Found A Better Tight End Formula
Dak Prescotts three-touchdown afternoon against Philadelphia came with an offense that looked a little different than it had in recent weeks, and the tight end usage stood out as much as anything. Jake Ferguson, who has been one of the more familiar pieces in Dallas passing game, saw his playing time and target share dip noticeably, while Brevyn Spann-Ford picked up more work and more chances to stay on the field.
For a Cowboys offense that has been searching for the right balance around Prescott, the shift suggests the staff may be leaning into a different tight end setup. Ferguson is still part of the equation, but the growing role for Spann-Ford points to a real change in how Dallas wants to deploy the position, and it will be worth watching whether this was a one-game wrinkle or the start of a larger adjustment. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Are Sending George Pickens A Message He Can't Ignore
George Pickens still made a real impact in the Cowboys win over the Philadelphia Eagles, finishing with four catches for 57 yards and a touchdown. But the bigger message from Dallas may have been in how he was used, with the team trimming his playing time, especially in run-blocking situations, after coach Shane Schottenheimer publicly called him out for his effort in the previous game.
It was notable enough that Pickens played fewer snaps than Ryan Flournoy, a clear sign the Cowboys are willing to let the depth chart reflect more than just receiving production. Pickens has already been disciplined once this season for a curfew violation, so the clubs latest move adds another layer to a stretch where his talent has remained obvious even as the margin for error around him has narrowed. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Defense Just Gave Fans A New Reason For Hope
The Cowboys defense had a rough opening against Philadelphia, with the Eagles punching in touchdowns on their first two drives, but the group settled in and gave Dallas a chance to win. After that early burst, the Eagles managed only one more touchdown, and the Cowboys pass defense did enough to keep the game from getting away while the offense took advantage of the other side of the ball.
A lot of the optimism comes from the way the front and back end looked working together. DeMarvion Overshown was active all over the field in his return, and the pass rush kept building pressure with Quinnen Williams collapsing plays behind the line and Donovan Ezeiruaku finally getting to the quarterback for his first full sack of the season. The run defense still has work to do, but this was the kind of performance that can make the Cowboys believe the unit is starting to turn a corner. [Read more 🡒]