Dallas Cowboys at Cardinals: 5 Keys to Win, Injury & Inactives List

The Dallas Cowboys were riding high on the emotion of blasting the New York Jets 30-10 before the brutal reality of NFL football reared its ugly head as cornerback Trevon Diggs was lost for the season with an ACL injury.

But as harsh as it sounds, the show must go on, and Dallas' next game against the Arizona Cardinals is one that some have labeled a "trap game" for Mike McCarthy's team.

With the Cardinals 0-2 and the Cowboys 2-0, on paper, it looks straightforward, but as we know, the NFL is anything but.

So, how do the Cowboys avoid this banana peel of a game and escape the desert with a win? By doing a certain five things. ..

First, though, the captains: Tyron Smith (offense), Leighton Vander Esch (defense) and Peyton Hendershot (special teams). ... with Tyron's job there obviously telling us that he's playing. Which leads us to the inactives: RG Zack Martin (ankle), C Tyler Biadasz (hamstring), S Israel Mukuamu, WR Jalen Brooks, DE Viliami Fehoko Jr., CB Eric Scott Jr. and QB Trey Lance (emergency third quarterback).

And now to the five keys ...

1. Control the emotion of Diggs' injury: This is perhaps the biggest key for Dallas to adhere to. Losing Diggs was a gut punch, and the reaction from Dallas can go one of two ways.

With losing such a key part of the team, the "do it for Trevon" emotional pull could be used effectively. Every player puts it on the line and does it for their injured teammate.

It can be a valuable tool for McCarthy to use.

But the flip side is that it goes the other way for Dallas. The emotional and mental toll that the week has taken could see the Cowboys off their game, and in the NFL, that is all it takes for a team to be knocked off their perch.

Control the emotion of Diggs' injury correctly and channel it into something productive. Don't let it drain the energy levels before a snap is played.

2 - Contain Joshua Dobbs' running ability: One of the Dallas defense's "weaknesses," if you could call it that, is a mobile quarterback.

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (rushed for 43 yards on 13 carries) and New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (36 rushing yards on five carries) both had success on broken down plays against Dan Quinn's unit.

Against the Giants, Joshua Dobbs rushed for 41 yards and a touchdown on three carries as he showed what he can do in the open field.

Such is the Cowboys' ferocious pass rush; if they pin their ears back too much, as we saw against the Giants, running lanes can open up, and Dobbs, being as mobile as he is, can escape rather quickly and pick up yards.

Dobbs doesn't run much, but when he does, he's effective, averaging 5.7 yards per run throughout his career. If Dallas can take that away and force him to sit in the pocket, the defensive line could add to their already impressive sack total.

3. Offense starts fast: Against the Jets, McCarthy took the ball first instead of deferring, and the Cowboys' offense marched down the field and scored a touchdown. That immediately put Wilson and the Jets offense on the back foot.

With the Cardinals having a host of injuries on the defensive side of the ball, if Dallas can get a lead early, then as we have seen in the opening two games, it becomes very tough to score points on this Cowboys defense.

Additionally, it is a road game, and the Cardinals fans would love nothing more than to upset the Cowboys and the longer the game remains close, the more Arizona will gain confidence of an upset.

Don't play with your food, Dallas. Devour it as fast as you can.

4. Pass rush to unsettle Dobbs: This coincides somewhat with stopping Dobbs' rushing ability, but Dallas' vaunted pass rush needs to feast against the Cardinals.

While Arizona is 0-2 and has its issues, one thing they are doing well is protecting Dobbs. He has only been sacked three times in the first two games.

Putting that into perspective, only six teams have given up fewer sacks so far, so Arizona protects Dobbs. Against the Commanders in Week 1, Dobbs was sacked three times, while the Giants couldn't get a glove on him last week.

Many see the Washington Commanders' defense as one of the top units in the league, and Arizona struggled against Jack Del Rio's defense. Expect Dan Quinn to dial up the pressure.

5. Protect Dak: Something that has gone under the radar this season is the Cardinals' pass rush. They have nine sacks on the year, which is one behind Dallas and Washington (10) and level with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Cowboys' offensive line has only given up one sack, and with the Cardinals' defensive injuries, keeping Dak Prescott upright is crucial in avoiding any potential slip-up. Ah, but the catch: Tyron is in. But the O-line otherwise? Problems.

If the offensive line can allow Dak time to throw, we saw what he did against a stout Jets defense (31/38 255 yards and two TDs), so imagine what Prescott could do against an injury-riddled Cardinals defense that won't have Carlos Watkins, Josh Woods, and Budda Baker who is now on IR with a hamstring injury.