Arizona Cardinals: Big plays key in preseason victory over Dallas

Big plays fueled the Arizona Cardinals to a 27-3 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3 of the 2018 preseason.

Every NFL head coach expects all three phases of his team to make contributions each game. Big plays showcased the explosive Arizona Cardinals under new head coach Steve Wilks’ leadership. Most of all, Arizona scored on touchdowns from the special teams, defense and offense in the 27-3 lopsided Week 3 preseason win.

Sunday night’s primetime telecast will, no doubt, serve notice to the NFC West that the Cardinals are contenders. Wilks has to be very pleased in his team’s overall performance on the road. The Dallas Cowboys never really knew what hit them.

The special teams had a big night in Dallas. Trent Sherfield recovered a Cowboys fumble in the end zone to put the Redbirds on the board first. Phil Dawson and Matt McCrane booted long field goals of 42 and 54 yards, respectively. Arizona received very good contributions from the special teams.

Patrick Peterson showed why he is one of the best cornerbacks in the game. Peterson returned an interception 30 yards for the Cardinals second touchdown of the first quarter. Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com captured Peterson’s comments following the game:

"“Honestly, this is what I envisioned, what I’ve been talking about all spring,” Peterson said. “This defense is really … set up for us to make plays, at any position. “We’re flying around, playing together, communicating. It’s fun to see us.”"

The Arizona defense looked very good. They recorded five sacks, intercepted three passes and held Dallas to only converting three third downs out of 14. Peterson forced a fumble to add to the Cowboys turnover count. The Cardinals forced eight Cowboys turnovers, three picks and five fumbles.

Finally, the third big play of the night came on offense. T.J. Logan took the handoff and ran 59 yards for a touchdown. Most of all, Arizona did not have a single turnover.

There are some things that Wilks will address this week, like the amount of penalties. Arizona committed nine penalties for 86 yards. They have to get better on third down efficiency because converting on twice out of 13 is not efficient.

Still, Arizona played well in the dress rehearsal in Dallas. Expect the Cardinals to sit the starters for the last preseason game against Denver. This is going to be an exciting season in Arizona.