If Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald can do this to the '08 Steelers defense, what does that mean for Dallas' secondary? (minnesota.publicradio.org)

I am just going to lay it out there instead of attempting to be eloquent; I think Dallas is in serious trouble in this football game. My heart tells me they are, by far, the better team on the field. My gut tells me they will win in a similar fashion to the Washington and Miami games. My mind tells me the Arizona Cardinals’ three greatest strengths are matched up against three of the Cowboys’ weaknesses.

In the past two or three weeks in particular, the Cowboys have struggled to cover explosive kick returners on both kickoffs and punts. Oddly, this was not the case earlier in the season. This weakness seems to be a new concern for Dallas. Granted, the Cowboys have had to contain Washington’s Brandon Banks and Miami’s Devone Bess but the responsibility is not going to get any easier. Arizona’s Patrick Peterson has set an NFL record with 4 returns for touchdowns this season and looks to be the most explosive return man the game has seen since teams stopped kicking to Chicago’s Devin Hester. It is easier said than done, but P Mat McBriar and K Dan Bailey need to play copycat and kick the ball away from Peterson. If they don’t, the Cardinals will have a distinct advantage that can change games.

Editor’s Update:  Just a clarification: Patrick Peterson is tied with 3 other players for the NFL record of 4 punt returns for a TD in a single season.  Peterson is the only one with 4 returns over 80 yards.

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