Dallas Cowboys: Offensive keys to beating the Cardinals

After a blowout loss in Denver, the Dallas Cowboys’ offense hope to bounce back Monday in Arizona. Here’s how they can rebound vs the Cardinals’ defense.

After an embarrassing loss and a week full of criticism, the Dallas Cowboys will be more than ready to play Monday in Arizona.

To get back on track, the offense needs to go back to their proven formula of winning in the trenches and eating up the clock. In their way stands the Cardinals’ defense, a unit with a talented secondary, but full of holes in their front seven.

This week will be a good test for the Cowboys’ offense. As the season continues, they’ll have to put up points on better units than this. Here’s how they can.

The Cardinals’ Defensive Philosophy

For the last few years, the have Cardinals run a hybrid 3-4 defense. This is the same style that the Denver Broncos run and has given Dallas issues in the past.

They line up with three, bigger, defensive lineman, responsible for clogging up the run game, and four linebackers, two of which rush the passer on the outside.

In the secondary, they predominantly play man-coverage, another style that causes issues for Dallas. They have two of the best defensive backs in the NFL, in Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu, the former who is exceptional at taking away the other team’s best receiver, and the later who seems to be a magnet for turnovers.