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NFL 2017: Who plays on Monday Night Football in Week 3?

By Nick Sparrow

ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 10: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys gets pat on the chest from Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys in the first half of a game against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium on September 10, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 10: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys gets pat on the chest from Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys in the first half of a game against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium on September 10, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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With the 2017 NFL season starting to take shape, which teams play on Monday Night Football in Week 3 to cap off the weekend’s action?

On Monday Night Football in Week 3 of the NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys travel to University of Pheonix Stadium to face off against the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals are coming off of a tough overtime win against the Indianapolis Colts to enter Week 3 1-1. The Cowboys were dominated in Week 2 by the Denver Broncos in a strange game which was stopped for over an hour due to lightning in the area, and are now also 1-1.

Dallas lost to Denver 42-17 on Sunday. Not only did the Cowboys get embarrassed on the road, but the NFL’s leading rusher in 2017, Ezekiel Elliot, carried nine times for a total of only eight yards. Dallas’ leading rusher in Week 2 was quarterback Dak Prescott, who rushed three times for 24 yards.

The Cowboys rely desperately on their run game in order to tire out the opposing defense and control the tempo of the game. With that option shut down early, Prescott was forced to drop back 50 times, where he completed 30 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns. Prescott also threw 2 interceptions and was sacked twice.

The Cardinals did the absolute minimum needed to win in Week 2. Losing 13-3 in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals scored 13 unanswered points to win the game, including a game-winning field goal in overtime.

Their defense looked much better than their Week 1 performance, in which they gave up 35 points to the Detroit Lions. However, their offense continued to struggle after losing star running back David Johnson in Week 1. Since Johnson went out with a wrist injury in the fourth quarter of Week 1, the Cardinals have only scored 19 points.

Next: NFL Power Rankings 2017: Week 3

Arizona is going to need to find a way to score more against Dallas if they hope to win this game. Despite the Cowboys struggles in Denver, I think they will be able to attack the Cardinals much more effectively on the ground. This should be an exciting game that fans should be interested in seeing, as these teams both have strong playoff hopes and look to avoid starting 1-2.

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