The Dallas Cowboys are set to take on the Arizona Cardinals on Monday at 7:15 p.m. in a matchup that will have a significant impact on both teams’ seasons.

Dallas will enter this matchup with an overall record of 3-4-1 and a challenging schedule remaining for the remainder of the season, making this Week 9 game a must-win for a reeling Cowboys team.

Meanwhile, Arizona currently boasts a record of just 2-5 and could become sellers at the NFL trade deadline with another loss.

The Cowboys will have just one more chance to secure a victory before the looming trade deadline and upcoming bye week, with this matchup potentially determining whether this team makes a move to improve the roster personnel.

Entering this pivotal matchup, there are several aspects of the game that the Cowboys must dominate to secure the victory.

With that in mind, here are the two biggest keys to victory for the Cowboys in Week 9:

Re-Establish Passing Offense

The Cowboys have spent this season with one of the most impressive passing attacks in the NFL, currently averaging the most passing yards of any team in the league, 263.8 yards per game.

However, this passing attack sputtered in Week 8 against the Denver Broncos, as Dak Prescott accumulated just 188 passing yards and two interceptions in the loss.

Dallas tacked on an additional 58 yards and one touchdown in the matchup, but those statistics came from backup quarterback Joe Milton after both teams began to sub in bench players due to the blowout.

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Although Denver has one of the best defenses in the entire NFL, the struggles throwing the ball resulted in the Cowboys’ offense grinding to a halt for the majority of the game. 

The Cowboys must once again find a rhythm throwing the ball to compete at a high level.

Luckily, Dallas is taking on a Cardinals team that has struggled against passing offense, with Arizona’s defense entering this game with the 24th-ranked passing defense.

Despite the Cardinals having a solid rushing defense, which allowed only 100.9 rushing yards per game, their passing defense has allowed opposing quarterbacks to gain 234.9 passing yards per game.

While teams will often look to establish a rushing attack before throwing the ball, the Cowboys must be prepared to take advantage of a struggling passing defense.

Perform As A League Average Defense

As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the Cowboys have boasted a historically bad defensive unit for the majority of the season.

Realistically, something will have to change on the defensive side of the ball for this team to compete.

Entering Week 9, the Cowboys ranked near the bottom of the league in both havoc rate and explosive plays allowed, meaning the team is not forcing any meaningful action on defense while also allowing opposing offenses to generate big plays.

Havoc rate is calculated using a team’s total number of tackles for loss, forced fumbles, interceptions, sacks, and pass breakups.

Simply put, the Cowboys have forced very few mistakes by opposing offenses.

This performance on defense has not been acceptable through the first eight weeks of the year, with this side of the ball being the explicit reason for multiple losses to begin the year.

Currently, the Cowboys are just the fourth team in the Super Bowl era to average at least 30 points on offense while also allowing 30 points on defense, indicating the massive discrepancy between the two sides of the ball.

This week, Dallas will have a chance to match up against an offense that has struggled for large portions of the season.

Although Arizona has managed to score at least 20 points in four consecutive games, the team has still failed to score 30 points in a game this season.

Holding the Cardinals under 25 points will likely be the biggest factor in whether the Cowboys can secure a win, as the offense has consistently demonstrated an ability to score at will against the majority of teams in the league.