FRISCO, TEXAS — Last week, the Cowboys overcame the devastating injury to quarterback Dak Prescott and came away with a win over the Giants. On Monday night, the team faces a challenging Cardinals’ team with an elusive dual-threat quarterback in Kyler Murray and arguably the NFL’s best receiver in DeAndre Hopkins. Not to mention a defense that is currently ranked fifth in the league.
Dallas’ defense has faced several mobile quarterbacks in recent weeks including Russell Wilson and Daniel Jones and they face another in week six. Murray can beat defenses through the air and on the ground. The second-year quarterback is off to a stellar start in 2020 with 296 rushing yards and five rush touchdowns through five games, in addition to eight pass touchdowns.
“ He has a unique skill set, “ Mike McCarthy told media. “ He’s so quick and explosive and he can get the ball out of his hands very quickly. Obviously he can make any throw, he can hit all the quadrants of the field and he’s leading the league in rushing as a quarterback. So I think that in itself tells you the stress that he puts on your defense. Their system of offense is played to the quarterback. “
With Murray’s arm-talent and ability to improvise with his legs, he is a nightmare for defenses, especially teams playing man coverage. Opponents will often use man coverage to try and shut down his go-to target DeAndre Hopkins, which then leaves lanes exposed for Murray on design runs. Arizona also has two solid running backs in Kenyan Drake and Chase Edmonds that can quickly get to the second level and abuse defenses. The Cowboys will have to win the battle up front with pressure to keep Murray contained in the pocket and have solid gap discipline to not allow holes for him to extend drives.
The Cardinals will likely try to shut down Ezekiel Elliott by clogging holes at the line of scrimmage, forcing the Cowboys to be one-dimensional. With a banged up offensive line and the injury to Dak Prescott, the Cowboys have become more mindful in mobilizing the quarterback. Dallas’ focus moving forward is to create a more balanced attack by establishing the run game and the Cardinals are taking note with their offensive game plan.
Andy Dalton will face a solid secondary with versatile safety Budda Baker, who can cover the middle of the field or collapse the pocket from blitzes off the edge, and ten-year veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson. Arizona will be without the team’s best pass rusher, outside linebacker Chandler Jones, who will have season-ending biceps surgery. Jones had a career-high 19-sack season last year but special teams player Dennis Gardeck flashed impressive skills in Jones’ departure. Gardeck was awarded the game ball last week against the Jets after accumulating two sacks in 10 defensive snaps, including one on his first ever-defensive series. He will likely receive a larger role moving forward to bring pressure off the edge.
