The Cowboys’ offensive line doesn’t need to be perfect again. It just needs to look a lot like it did against Philadelphia.
Last week, Dallas’ front five was the best unit on the field, and that’s the standard heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Arizona Cardinals. The numbers say the Cowboys have been moving in the right direction: a 54% pass block win rate ranks ninth, the run block win rate sits at 71% and ranks 28th, pressure rate allowed is 31% and 17th, and sacks allowed are down to seven, which is first. Over the last three weeks, the trend has been improving nicely.
That’s the backdrop for a game where Arizona will spend plenty of time trying to figure out where Dallas can be broken. One big answer: keep tracking Budda Baker.
He’s not a defensive lineman, but he’s Arizona’s most dangerous pass rusher so far with 3.5 sacks, more than Josh Sweat and Darius Robinson, who each have two. The Cardinals have used Baker selectively as a blitzer, hiding his path and sending him through gaps where blockers are already occupied.
One of those rushes produced an A-gap sack against Jared Goff.
If Baker crowds the line, Dallas has to sort out whether he’s coming or bluffing and dropping into coverage. That uncertainty is the problem.
The other name to watch is Josh Sweat, even if his production has dipped. He has only two sacks this season, and his sacks per 100 pass-rush snaps have dropped from 3.5 last year to 1.6 this year. Still, Arizona has labeled him its best pass rusher, and the depth chart puts him at left defensive end, which sets up snaps against Terence Steele.
That’s the matchup Arizona should try to exploit. Tyler Guyton has yet to allow a sack, though he has given up 19 pressures, and his 84.6 PFF run-blocking grade ranks fourth among qualifying tackles.
Steele, though, has been the less reliable pass protector. The Cardinals should keep sending Sweat his way and see whether they can find a crack Philadelphia never did.
Dallas doesn’t have to erase Sweat entirely. It just can’t let him wake up a quiet season on Sunday.
On the other side of the ball, the path for Dallas is straightforward: keep hammering away with Javonte Williams. After finally getting the run game going against Philadelphia, there’s no reason for Brian Schottenheimer to step off that plan now. Arizona has allowed 884 rushing yards through seven games at 4.6 yards per carry, which comes out to 126 yards per game and ranks 10th-worst.
The Cardinals may also be without Walter Nolen III again. He missed the Denver game with an ankle injury, and head coach Mike LaFleur said he was not expecting Nolen to practice much this week. If he’s out, that removes a strong presence from the middle of the defense.
That opens the door for Dallas to go right back to Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe and Tyler Booker, the trio that helped create big lanes for Williams against Philadelphia. Darius Robinson is another spot the Cowboys can target in the run game.
His PFF run-defense grade is 42.8, which ranks 106th among qualifying interior defensive linemen. That makes him a clear place to lean on, especially if Smith and Booker can double him before climbing to a linebacker.
There’s also a bigger picture reason to trust the plan: Arizona hasn’t been a dominant pressure team. The Cardinals have generated pressure on just 25.5% of opponent dropbacks, 26th in the NFL and below league average.
They have 15 sacks, which ranks 19th, but they are not consistently forcing quarterbacks off their spots. That’s why Dallas should challenge them to win with a four-man rush.
If Arizona doesn’t blitz, let Prescott work with five receiving options and don’t automatically keep Jake Ferguson next to the tackle. Make the Cardinals prove they can win one-on-one.
The recent evidence points that way too. Philadelphia couldn’t do it Monday, and the Eagles finished without registering a quarterback hit.
If Dallas wants the cleanest route to another strong showing, it’s the same formula that worked last week: run behind Smith and Booker, let Guyton keep doing what he’s done well in the run game, and make Arizona react. If Baker crowds the line, use play-action behind him. If the Cardinals blitz, get the ball out quickly.
Dallas enters the week without any new injury concerns among its five starting offensive linemen. For Arizona, Walter Nolen III is the main defensive line injury to monitor, while Darius Robinson also dealt with a back injury last week but was able to play against Denver. There’s also chatter about Josh Sweat possibly hitting the trade market before the deadline, but for now he is expected to play against Dallas.
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