Cardinals vs. Cowboys Week 8 Preview: Dallas Chases Its First Win Streak Against Its Arizona Curse

Every franchise has that one opponent that turns it into a sitcom. For the Dallas Cowboys, it is a 2-5 team from the desert. "They punched us in the mouth every single time," CeeDee Lamb told Dallas reporters this week, as relayed by the Cardinals' website. Lamb has never beaten Arizona in his career. Dak Prescott is 1-3 against them, per the Cowboys' site.

Arizona (2-5) visits Dallas (3-4) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The Cardinals are 4-0 in that building since it opened in 2009 and won there 27-17 last November. Dallas just hung 38 on Philadelphia and is a touchdown favorite. All it has to do is something it has not done all season: win two in a row.

The Stakes: Can Dallas Finally Stack Two Wins?

Read the Cowboys' results in order and it looks like a blinking turn signal: loss, win, loss, win, loss, loss, win. No back-to-back wins this year, and none since last Thanksgiving, 13 games ago, per the Cowboys' site. Brian Schottenheimer's only winning streak as head coach was a three-game run last season, per the AP. Sunday also opens a stretch of four home games in five weeks, which is the NFC East equivalent of a Mario Kart mushroom boost if Dallas can grab it. The Giants lead the division at 4-2-1, one and a half games ahead.

Schottenheimer has diagnosed the problem. "It's a business where you have to be consistent with your execution, with your performance," he said this week.

Arizona's season has been a mood ring. Mike LaFleur's first year has produced a four-game skid, an 18-16 upset of the Rams on the road and then a 30-16 home loss to Denver, the Cardinals' 10th straight defeat at home. Away from home they are 2-2. LaFleur's message this week was pure one-week-at-a-time: "I want these guys to be where their feet are."

And then there is the history. Both teams' websites put Arizona at eight wins in the past nine meetings. Prescott's summary this week was blunt: "They've had our number the last couple of years."

The Matchup That Decides It: Dallas' New Ground Game vs. Arizona's Run Defense

The AP flagged both teams' rushing offenses against both teams' rushing defenses, and that is where this game tilts. Dallas and Arizona each average fewer than 100 rushing yards per game, but the Cowboys just ran for a season-best 204 in Philadelphia. Javonte Williams went for a career-high 155 on 25 carries and is tied for the NFL lead with eight rushing touchdowns, scoring in five straight games. Arizona ranks 23rd against the run at 126.3 yards allowed per game.

The flip side is not pretty for Dallas. The Cowboys are 31st against the run (145.7 per game), and Arizona gets rookie Jeremiyah Love back after he missed two games with an ankle injury, per the team. Love is still the Cardinals' leading rusher at 245 yards on 67 carries. "We have to be the backbone of the offense," Love said this week.

Arizona's game plan writes itself: grind long drives and keep Prescott on the bench. The Cardinals lead the NFL with 21 drives of at least 10 plays, 18 of which ended in points, and rank fourth in time of possession at 32:16, per the AP. The catch is the red zone, where they are 1-for-10 on touchdowns over the past two games after scoring on 9 of 13 trips in the first four games, per the Cardinals' site. Field goals will not beat this offense.

Players to Watch

Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys. He is 178 of 273 for 1,851 yards with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. His three touchdown passes in Philadelphia gave him 80 career games with multiple scoring throws, breaking a tie with Tony Romo for the franchise record.

CeeDee Lamb, WR, Cowboys. Lamb has 53 catches for 651 yards and six touchdowns, and his NFL-leading 81 targets are the most through seven games in franchise history, per the AP. He already has two multi-touchdown games this season, including two scores in Philadelphia.

Trey McBride, TE, Cardinals. McBride leads the NFL with 59 catches, the most by a tight end through a team's first seven games in league history, per the AP. Seven more grabs on Sunday would make it 10 straight games with at least seven, joining Antonio Brown and Cooper Kupp.

Jacoby Brissett, QB, Cardinals. Brissett has 1,600 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions, and is 3-16 as a starter over a season and a half. His first win as Arizona's starter came in this building last year, when he threw for 261 yards and two scores and ran for another.

Injury Report

Dallas ruled out receiver KaVontae Turpin (ribs) and linebacker Dee Winters (calf). Receiver George Pickens (shoulder/hamstring) is questionable, though Schottenheimer said he is expected to play, per the team. Defensive tackles Kenny Clark (back) and Jonathan Bullard (calf), linebacker Marist Liufau (forearm) and tight end Luke Schoonmaker (groin) are also questionable. Safety P.J. Locke (foot) was listed as questionable and has since been activated off injured reserve, per the Cowboys.

Arizona ruled out guard Jon Gaines II (ankle) and defensive tackle Walter Nolen III (ankle). Center Hjalte Froholdt (knee), cornerback Max Melton (knee) and safety Andrew Wingard (knee) are questionable. Love carries no designation and will play, per the team injury report.

By the Numbers

• DraftKings lists Dallas as a 7-point favorite with a total of 54.5, via ESPN, as of Saturday.
• ESPN's matchup predictor gives the Cowboys a 78.4% chance to win.
• Arizona is 4-0 all time at AT&T Stadium.
• Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland is 9 for 9 on field goals over the past two weeks, per the AP.
• The all-time series belongs to Dallas, 56-36-1.

Our Pick: The Curse Takes a Week Off

Arizona's hold on this series is real, and McBride is exactly the kind of chain-mover who can turn a game into a 10-minute drive and a field goal. That is also the problem. The Cardinals have to finish drives against a Dallas offense that just remembered how to run the ball, and they have not been finishing much lately.

Our pick: Cowboys 31, Cardinals 23. Williams finds the end zone again, Lamb finally gets his win over the Cardinals, and Dallas strings together two victories for the first time all season. Low bar, sure. Still a bar.

Odds from DraftKings via ESPN as of Oct. 31. Injury statuses from team reports via ESPN, dallascowboys.com and azcardinals.com. Quotes as reported by the Associated Press, dallascowboys.com and azcardinals.com.