The Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys look to be going in different directions as franchises.
One one hand the Cowboys seem to have found their quarterback of the future. On the other side, the Cardinals are holding onto a veteran quarterback who has looked washed up through two weeks of the season.
One of these teams, the Cowboys, are filled with young and athletic players they hope to be the cornerstones of a future dynasty. The other team, the Cardinals have looked older and slower so far in 2017.
But, to be honest, none of this will matter Monday night.
The Cowboys need to win this one more than a team typically needs to win a week three game. After falling hard a week ago in Denver, Dallas can ill-afford to string together consecutive losses. Especially with the new and improved Rams on the horizon for week four.
The Cardinals need to win this pretty badly too. After an embarrassing week one loss Arizona barely squeaked by a bad Colts team. What better way to get back on track and show you are still ready to compete than to knock off the Cowboys on national television?
So, while the Cardinals look to be reeling, I’m still sort of nervous about this game Monday night. To be honest, I don’t see why the Cowboys shouldn’t both win and dominate this game right from the kick off.
But if the Arizona defense can play to its full potential, and Carson Palmer can make a few throws against a banged up Cowboys secondary, a 1-2 start for Dallas may be a real possibility.
The Cowboys have a chance to make a statement on Monday night. With the whole football world watching Dallas can prove that they will not regress from 2016. They can show that they will not fall off and lose consecutive games. And they can show that they can dominate lesser opponents.
Even in the event Dallas loses Monday, the season is far from over. But it will be a hell of a lot easier if they can get this done in Arizona.
