Cowboys Stay on the Road to Play Arizona

Nov 11, 2006, 0:05 GMT

- The next time Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo hears cheering directed at him, he might do a bit of a double-take.

Romo's career as the Cowboys' starter, which will continue this week when his team travels to meet the struggling Arizona Cardinals, has been played out exclusively in unfriendly confines. First came a primetime tilt at Carolina, then last week's trip to meet the arch rival Redskins before 90,000+ at FedEx Field, and now the Cardinals in sparkling new University of Phoenix Stadium, which will on Sunday house more than 63,000+ fans eager to watch their team end its recent struggles against 'America's Team.'

To his credit, Romo has endured the away-game hostility extremely well thus far, completing two-thirds of his passes and approaching the 300-yard mark in both a Week 8 win over the Panthers (35-14) and last week's heartbreaking 22-19 loss at Washington. In the latter contest, Romo moved the Cowboys into position for a would-be game-winning field goal by Mike Vanderjagt from 35 yards out, but a blocked kick followed by a Sean Taylor run-back and subsequent Dallas penalty instead allowed the Redskins to win the game on a 47-yard Nick Novak trifecta. The loss moved Dallas (4-4) into a tie for second place in the NFC East, two games back of the division-leading Giants.

Seeking to extend the Cowboys' misery this week will be Arizona, which is itself in the midst of a disconcerting seven-game losing streak. The Cardinals have the NFL's worst record as Week 10 begins, and on Sunday will be trying to avoid its longest single-season losing streak since dropping eight in a row to end the 1991 campaign.

SERIES HISTORY

Dallas has a 54-27-1 lead in its all-time regular season series with Arizona, and was a 34-13 home winner in the last such matchup, in Week 8 of the 2005 campaign. The Cardinals have lost two straight against Dallas, but won by a 9-6 count in overtime when the teams last met in Arizona, in 2002. The Cowboys are 0-4 in Arizona since last scoring a win there in 1998.

In addition to the regular season series, the teams played a memorable postseason contest in a 1998 NFC First-Round Playoff, won by the Cardinals, 20-7, on the road. That game marks Arizona's only playoff victory since 1964.

Cardinals head coach Dennis Green is 4-4 all-time against the Cowboys, including a loss for his Vikings in a 1996 NFC First-Round Playoff and a win for Minnesota in a 1999 NFC First-Round Playoff. Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells is 16-4-1 in his career against the Cardinals, and has won 10 straight since his Giants lost in Arizona during the 1988 season. Parcells is 3-0 head-to-head against Green, winning one each while with the Patriots, Jets, and Cowboys.

COWBOYS OFFENSE VS. CARDINALS DEFENSE

Romo (816 passing yards, 6 TD, 4 INT) has given Cowboys fans hope that he can end the franchise's playoff drought at two seasons, as the former undrafted free agent out of Eastern Illinois has played with both efficiency and poise in his two starts. After beating Carolina on the road in his first start, Romo went into hostile Washington last Sunday and posted a 109.0 passer rating, completing 24-of-36 passes for 284 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Romo connected on scoring strikes with both Terrell Owens (44 receptions, 6 TD) and Terry Glenn (36 receptions, 4 TD) last Sunday, as Owens led the club with seven catches for 76 yards and a score. No. 3 receiver Patrick Crayton (17 receptions, 2 TD) also got in on the act, making his four receptions count for a game-high 84 yards. Tight end Jason Witten (31 receptions, 1 TD) chipped in with five grabs for 50 yards in his second consecutive strong outing. Romo has been sacked twice in each of his two NFL starts.

The Cardinals come into the Dallas game ranked 24th in NFL passing defense (219.4 yards per game), though Arizona is in the league Top 10 in both passing touchdowns surrendered (7) and opponent's completion percentage (56.9). The secondary has played relatively well, with safeties Adrian Wilson (39 tackles, 4 sacks, 3 INT) and Robert Griffith (33 tackles, 2 INT) both making their share of plays and second-year cornerbacks Antrel Rolle (43 tackles) and Eric Green (30 tackles) not embarrassing themselves either. Griffith had a game- high 10 tackles against Green Bay in Week 8. Where Arizona has been weak is in the pass rush, as former Pro Bowl end Bertrand Berry (19 tackles, 4 sacks) has seen his production drop off and the rest of the Cardinal d-line has combined for just five sacks. Arizona's 17 sacks on the year rank tied for 19th in the league.

The Cowboys enter Week 10 ranked fifth in NFL rushing offense (136.9 yards per game), a notable achievement for a team that is still enduring major questions about the quality of its offensive line. Julius Jones (689 rushing yards, 3 TD) has been the workhorse, logging at least 20 carries in six of the team's eight games this season and going over the 100-yard mark three times on the year. Jones carried 20 times for 73 yards against Washington. Second-year man Marion Barber III (309 rushing yards, 6 TD, 11 receptions) has also been very good, averaging 5.2 yards per rush and giving the team a reliable target out of the backfield as well. Versus the Redskins, Barber had nine total touches for 73 yards.

The Arizona front seven has been relatively soft against the run all season, ranking 22nd in NFL rushing defense (124.4 yards per game) as the second half commences. The best run-stopper on the team has been middle linebacker Gerald Hayes (53 tackles, 2 INT, 1 sack), but no other Arizona LB has more than 24 stops on the year. Ex-Chiefs and Patriots starter Monty Beisel, who was signed earlier this week, could get an immediate chance to contribute at an outside position. On the interior line, Darnell Dockett (29 tackles, 1 sack) and Kendrick Clancy (18 tackles, 1 sack) need to be more active beginning with this week. Clancy is set to return to the trenches after missing the last three games with an ankle injury.

CARDINALS OFFENSE VS. COWBOYS DEFENSE

After looking like a savvy veteran for the better part of his first two starts, Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart (899 passing yards, 5 TD, 5 INT) has looked more like the rookie that he is over his last two games. The USC product and No. 11 overall pick in the 2006 Draft has completed just 27-of-67 passes (40.3 percent) since offensive coordinator Keith Rowen was demoted, throwing just one touchdown against three interceptions over that span. Leinart could catch a break this week, however, as wideout Larry Fitzgerald (25 receptions, 2 TD) is set to return from a three-week absence due to a strained hamstring. Anquan Boldin (48 receptions, 3 TD) has carried a bulk of the pass-catching load in Fitzgerald's absence, catching 20 balls for 242 yards over his past three games combined. With Fitzgerald back, reserve wideouts Bryant Johnson (16 receptions, 2 TD) and Troy Walters (18 receptions, 2 TD) figure to take on a lesser role. Leinart has been sacked 13 times in four-plus games, including four times against Green Bay last time out.

Seeking to apply pressure to Leinart will be a Dallas pass rush that was frustrated by its inability to get to the Redskins' Mark Brunell last week. The Cowboys managed just one sack of Brunell, that going to outside linebacker Demarcus Ware (35 tackles, 4 sacks), who has yet to post sacks in back-to-back games this season. Ware will try to erase that stat on Sunday, and fellow OLB Greg Ellis (27 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 1 INT) will also be eager to break through. Ellis had two sacks against the Panthers in Week 8. The Dallas secondary has had some problems this year, particularly at the safety position, where Pat Watkins (22 tackles) was benched in favor of Keith Davis (12 tackles) two weeks ago and Pro Bowler Roy Williams (31 tackles, 3 INT) suffered lapses that led directly to the Redskins' win last Sunday. Williams had a would-be interception bounce off his helmet in the fourth quarter, and was also flagged for a 48-yard pass interference penalty to set up a touchdown. Cornerbacks Terence Newman (31 tackles, 1 INT) and Anthony Henry (45 tackles, 1 INT) have been better, but will have a tough assignment with Boldin and Fitzgerald this week.

The fact that Arizona ranks dead last in the league in rushing offense (69.2 yards per game) is just about the NFL's worst-kept secret, as Cardinals running back Edgerrin James (516 rushing yards, 3 TD, 27 receptions) has voiced public complaints about the team's lack of a ground attack while the league's pundits have spoken on the subject regularly. The Cardinals are averaging just 2.6 yards per rush, the worst figure in the league by more than a half-a-yard. James' high rushing game was a 94-yard effort against the Rams back in Week 3, and he went for 84 and a touchdown against Green Bay in Week 8. No Arizona running back other than James has more than five rushing attempts on the season, though fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo (7 receptions) has garnered some touches as a pass-catcher.

James doesn't figure to reach triple-digits this week either, as he faces a Dallas team that ranks fifth in the NFL rushing defense (85.4 yards per game). The Cowboys allowed three Redskins running backs to combine for 104 yards on 29 carries last Sunday, but 38 of those came on one Clinton Portis touchdown run in the second quarter. Otherwise, the Skins averaged 2.4 yards per carry. Inside linebackers Akin Ayodele (43 tackles, 1 sack) and Bradie James (42 tackles, 1 INT) have been at the heart of the run-stopping effort, making plays behind a three-man line that includes nose tackle Jason Ferguson (22 tackles) and ends Marcus Spears (27 tackles, 1 sack) and Chris Canty (17 tackles, 1 sack). Ayodele and James combined for 15 tackles last Sunday, and Ferguson and Spears posted five tackles each from their place in the trenches.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Romo has energized the Dallas offense through his play, but his presence is not the end-all, be-all for a team that still has its share of problems. The offensive line is far too weak to expect this team to move the football at a consistent pace every week, and thus, teams like Arizona can hope to stick around and have a shot at winning ball games such as this. One would expect the Cardinals to come out with some fire following the bye week, and play inspired football in the interests of claiming win number two on the season. But Arizona's own line problems will be its undoing here, as Leinart and James are harassed throughout by the Cowboys' talented front seven. Dallas will come out a bit flat in the Arizona heat, but will flex its muscles on defense and have the game's final word.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Cowboys 17, Cardinals 13

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