by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Dec 28, 2021
Game time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Venue: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Where to watch: FOX
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Cowboys -5.5
BetMGM: Cowboys -5.5
Caesars: Cowboys -5.5
Season record
Cardinals: 10-5 (2nd place, NFC West)
Cowboys: 11-4 (1st place, NFC East; clinched division)
It was a good seven days for Will Rogers going 5-3-0 after what was an uncertain week of make-or-break games. Two weeks left in the regular season before the fun begins. You should be at the ready at all times. Catch Will’s plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Cardinals - Cowboys preview and analysis
Last week
Cardinals: lost 22-16 vs. Colts (Saturday)
Cowboys: won 56-14 vs. Washington
If you close your eyes and believe, you can see the Dallas Cowboys scoring another touchdown.
It was that kind of night for the Cowboys on Sunday night against the Washington Football Team, putting up 56 points and reminding folks just how good this team could be, and how this could be the year.
The No. 1 seed is still within reach for the Cowboys, and they’ll need to win out to have a chance at it. The Cowboys will play their home finale on Sunday when they host the Arizona Cardinals.
Dallas won its fourth straight game with a season-high 56 points, the most in any game for the Cowboys since 1980. Dak Prescott eliminated any thought of a slump with 330 yards and four first-half touchdowns, as the Cowboys took a 42-7 lead into halftime.
But it was the Dallas defense that was, and continues, to be one of the more dominant units in the NFL. The Cowboys got to Taylor Heinicke five times and intercepted him twice; Trevon Diggs recorded his 11th of the season, and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence ran one back 40 yards for a touchdown and a 21-0 first quarter lead.
"Nothing was more impressive than D'Law's pick-6," said Ezekiel Elliott, who scored two touchdowns on Sunday. "I was impressed with the stiff arm, the high knees, making the last guy miss on the sideline. I think he said he was an all-state tight end on the sideline. You saw that today."
The Cowboys need to win out and have the Green Bay Packers lose at least one game in order for the NFC playoffs to go through AT&T Stadium. Dallas clinched the NFC East before playing its game thanks to the Las Vegas Raiders defeating the Denver Broncos; the Cowboys had strength-of-victory tiebreaker over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Their opponent, meanwhile, is in some trouble. The Cardinals have lost three in a row and don’t look anywhere near the NFC’s cream of the crop that they were a month ago. Arizona is coming off an awful 6-point loss at home to the Indianapolis Colts, who were down a great number of key players such as Darius Leonard and Quenton Nelson.
Kyler Murray threw for 245 yards and one touchdown while also running for 74 yards; Murray did not have top receiver DeAndre Hopkins (knee) in the lineup. Hopkins will miss the rest of the regular season with that injury.
The Cardinals’ leading receiver was running back Chase Edmonds, who caught eight passes for 71 yards. He also ran for 56 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.
"We continue to find ways to lose, critical situations, penalties, things of that nature," Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said. "We've got to get it turned around somewhere."
The Cowboys are opening as high as 5.5-point favorites in most books, but the history of the matchup favors the Cardinals. Arizona is 5-1 against the spread in the last six with the under at 3-0-1 in the last four.
Prediction
I wouldn’t be shocked if this is a one-score game throughout. The Cardinals are struggling, but you want to get up for a game like this. Two of their three losses have been by one score, with the Detroit game the one outlier. But the Cowboys are too good right now, and if this comes down to a defensive game, pick the side that’s on fire. Cowboys by 6
Betting trends
The Cardinals are 5-0 ATS as an underdog this season and 17-7 in their last 24.
The Cardinals are 16-7 ATS in their last 23 road games.
The Cowboys are 10-0 ATS against conference opponents this season.
The Cowboys are 14-33 since 1992 ATS after covering five or six of their last seven games.
Players to watch
Cardinals: Tight end Zach Ertz had his most productive game since coming from Philadelphia a month ago. He had eight receptions for 54 yards on 13 targets.
Cowboys: On the other side, tight end Dalton Schultz continues to be a reliable target for Dak Prescott. He too had eight receptions, but hauled in 82 yards and a touchdown on Sunday.
Statistical leaders
Cardinals:
Passing: Kyler Murray – 3,284 yards, 21 TD, 10 INT
Rushing: James Conner – 700 yards, 14 TD
Receiving: Christian Kirk – 860 yards, 5 TD
Defense: Jordan Hicks – 110 tackles
Cowboys:
Passing: Dak Prescott – 3,928 yards, 29 TD, 10 INT
Rushing: Ezekiel Elliott – 899 yards, 10 TD
Receiving: CeeDee Lamb – 1,006 yards, 6 TD
Defense: Trevon Diggs – 11 INT
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
