The Dallas Cowboys played their best game of the season Week 16, beating the Washington Football Team in all three phases of the game and putting up 42 first-half points on the way to a 56-14 victory. The question for Dallas is can they carry this momentum through the rest of the regular season and into a playoff run.
The defense has been very consistent, but Kyler Murray is a different kind of QB than Dallas has faced in their recent hot streak. The Arizona Cardinals’ signal caller has elite mobility that might limit Micah Parsons to a quarterback spy, but unlike Taysom Hill has the arm talent to equally make a team pay in the passing game. The Cowboys defense must remain disciplined within their pass rush, and the defensive backs have to be able to stick to the man or zone a little longer to help negate Murray’s playmaking ability.
The Cardinals defense has two defensive players the Cowboys must account for on every play. Chandler Jones is arguably the best pass rusher in the league the last few seasons, and Budda Baker might be the best playmaking safety in the NFL. After that they have many players considered to be great talents in the draft who haven’t quite lived up to expectations. Guys like Isaiah Simmons, Zaven Collins, Zach Allen, and Leki Fotu are all still waiting for the light to stay lit.
If Dallas can neutralize the impact of Jones and Baker, they should be able to put up plenty of points on the Arizona defense that has allowed 27 points per game during their three-game losing streak, and who just gave up 30 to the Detroit Lions. Here is how to watch, listen, stream, and bet on the Week 17 match up.