Five Dallas players to watch for during Sunday’s game against Arizona
By author
Laurent Robinson: Robinson has been a savior for the Dallas Cowboys since Miles Austin went down, and he’s had no bigger game than last week against the Dolphins. With Austin being out again this week, Robinson will have another chance to prove why he was a great off season signing by the Cowboys. Robinson and Bryant have become the perfect 1-2 punch at wide receiver and also open up the passing game for Romo. With Witten, Robinson, Bryant and now Murray out of the back field, the Cowboys have so many weapons to choose from, and that is a big reason that the Cowboys offense has looked so good as of late. Even when Austin returns, Robinson has made sure that he will still be included in the offense, and it will make the Cowboys that much tougher come playoff time. I see Robinson having another big game, 45 yards but another 4th quarter touchdown.
DeMarco Murray: Many are starting to ask: if Murray counties the way he is playing, is he the Offensive Rookie of the Year? I say yes, I know that there are tons of other great rookies out there, but have any done for their team what Murray has done for the Cowboys since being named the starter? Murray is 5-1 since being named the starter, and the Cowboys now sit atop the division. He has also opened up the passing game for Romo; instead of throwing on 2nd and 8 like he was, he now has 2nd and short because of what Murray is doing.Murray may not win the Offensive Rookie of the year award, but he is defiantly making a case for it in the eyes of Cowboy fans. I see Murray going over 100 yards and scoring a touchdown.
Defense
Mike Jenkins: Jenkins has missed the last 4 games with a hamstring injury and reports are there is a chance that he will return to action this weekend. Jenkins return could be a huge help to what has been an okay secondary so far this season. The big question with Jenkins is: can he stay healthy and stay on the field. He is a huge part of the Cowboys defense and when he is healthy he is one of the better members of the Cowboys secondary. I want to see if he plays how effective he can be, and if he plays how healthy he actually is.
Rob Ryan’s Defense: After what was an amazing defensive showing 3 weeks ago against the Bills, the Cowboys defense has looked really suspect against 2 very weak offenses. Ryan’s defense got extremely lucky against Washington that their kicker missed a field goal and gave the Boys the chance to win the game. For weeks early on we talked about how much better the Cowboys defense has looked, but the last 2 weeks the defense has been non-existent. This week the Cowboys have the Cardinals who are not the greatest offense in the world. I look for the Cowboys defense to come out and prove these last 2 weeks to just be a bump in the road. If they can’t, then the Cowboys might be in trouble come playoff time.
Special Teams:
Matt McBriar: The past few weeks a new punt return threat has emerged in football; his name is Patrick Peterson. He has returned 4 touchdowns this season and has really come on the last few weeks. So the question this week is: do you let McBriar punt to Peterson, or do you just kick it away from him? I think that you make the offense beat you and don’t even give him a chance, but the Cowboys might see it a different way. Either way, one thing is for sure: if you give Peterson a chance, he can beat you. I want to see the Cowboys be cautious with Peterson and let the sub-par Cardinals offense try to beat us.
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