FRISCO, Texas –Sunday will mark the Cardinals first ever preseason visit to the Cowboys’ home turf. The Cowboys and Cardinals have squared off 88 times during the regular season with Dallas winning 56 of the matchups. Heading into Sunday’s preseason game, the key for Dallas will be staying focused amidst the injury list. The Cardinals are undefeated in preseason, and this would be a big win for the Cowboys coming into the game 0-2.
The Cowboys have been in a whirlwind the past week after learning of center Travis Frederick’s diagnosis with autoimmune disease, Guillain Barre Syndrome. Thankfully doctors caught the disease early on, but there is no set date of his return to the field. 7-year veteran Joe Looney will take the field in Frederick’s absence. Looney has had continuous reps with the first team on offense throughout training camp and has developed as a player from Frederick’s feedback on his snaps. He is ready to take on the full role of center, calling plays at the line of scrimmage along with Dak Prescott.
The first team on offense had two successful starts during the first two-preseason matchups against the 49ers and the Bengals. Prescott completed 13 out of 18 pass attempts for 125 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was fluid with his passes to Michael Gallup and Terrance Williams on critical situations, to put the Cowboys in the end zone and on the scoreboard. He looked well on scrambles being forced out of the pocket under pressure. Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott will not be playing in the last two-preseason games to guard against injury. The players to watch will be Cooper Rush at QB and Rod Smith taking over the ground game at RB for the second team offense.
The biggest concern on the defensive side is safety Xavier Wood’s injury. He re-injured the same hamstring he struggled with last season and will not be on the field anytime soon. The Cowboys acquired safeties Dominick Sanders and Jeron Johnson from free agency to add depth at the position in Wood’s absence. Coach Kris Richard’s innovative and hands-on coaching style is brining momentum to the defensive backfield. The secondary has struggled with holding penalties on man-to-man coverage and the young back’s are still learning and developing their skill. This past week during practice, receiver Allen Hurns stated, “ Chido Awuzie is the most patient corner on the team.” His patience paid off with his incredible one-handed interception against the Bengals, and that attribute is what the team as a whole needs moving forward.
