Week 13 NFL Picks: Predicting Dallas Cowboys vs. Arizona Cardinals

Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys are on a hot streak.  They look to extend their winning streak to five games against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Cowboys are coming off a nice Thanksgiving Day comeback victory against the Miami Dolphins, as Tony Romo overcame two early interceptions to throw for two scores and Dan Bailey notched the game-winning field goal to secure the 20-19 final score.

The Cardinals are coming off recent success themselves.  Beanie Wells ran for 227 yards on 28 carries to key a 23-20 win against the St. Louis Rams.

Kevin Kolb looks to add to the Cardinals' success as he returns to the field against the Cowboys after missing four games with turf toe and a bruise in his right foot.

However, DeMarcus Ware and the Cowboys defense will likely bring an unwelcome greeting to Kolb.

A win would give the Cowboys their first five-game winning streak since 2007.  In order to secure that fifth straight win, the Cowboys must address a few concerns.

Will Ware be strong on the pass rush?  Will Romo be brought down by interceptions?  Can DeMarco Murray rediscover his spark?  Will the Cowboys slow Wells?  Does another win require more magic from Bailey to finish the game?  Will Dez Bryant or Laurent Robinson get the big catch for the Cowboys?

Tony Romo

24-of-28, 334 yards passing, 4 TD, 2 rushes, 8 yards

Romo will have a beautiful day against the Cardinals as the No. 25 Cardinals pass defense won't challenge Romo.  He'll throw the ball on target almost every time.  In the first half, Romo will stretch the field, tossing long balls for touchdowns.  Hitting targets on intermediary passes, he'll reach significant gains.

In the second half, he'll slow the pace, concentrating on bubble screens and check downs.  Romo will avoid big mistakes, preserving a safe lead.

DeMarco Murray

24 rushes, 89 yards, 4 receptions, 30 yards

Murray won't have a great game.  He'll break some runs for significant gains.  Some of his runs will secure important first downs.  On the other hand, he'll be stopped on numerous occasions for short games.

Missing fullback Tony Fiametta will be significant.  Fiametta helped him in his big rushing games, clearing rushing lanes as Murray's lead blocker, and with Fiametta out last Thursday, Murray suffered, averaging less than four yards per carry.

Since the Cowboys aren't counting on Fiametta being healthy for Sunday, Murray will likely fail to average four yards per carry for the day.

Dez Bryant

4 receptions, 50 yards

Bryant will take a few catches against the Cardinals, and a couple of his catches will be for significant gains.  The others will be on screen passes.

Bryant hasn't been great this season, as he's still looking for that elusive 100-yard game.  Last Thursday, he only caught three passes for 35 yards.  Robinson and Jason Witten surface as more preferred targets of Romo. 

Laurent Robinson

5 receptions, 130 yards, 2 TD

Robinson will be very active against the Cardinals as Romo will target Robinson often.  On a few pass attempts, Romo will target Robinson for long throws.  Two of those Robinson will track down for touchdown.

Robinson will join the list of five receivers who have notched 100-yard games against the Cardinals. 

Jason Witten

6 receptions, 98 yards, TD

Witten will have a wonderful day.  Romo will target Witten several times, and he will break open up the seam and give Romo a nice basket into which to throw.

Once again, Witten will attain his requisite number of catches.  He has pulled in three catches in each game, but this time, he'll pull in six catches for the fifth time this season.

John Phillips

2 receptions, 18 yards, TD

This is a bonus pick for the offense.  John Phillips isn't one that fantasy football owners fawn over—he's more of a blocking tight end.  Phillips has only 10 catches on the year for 67 yards, with two catches for 16 yards against the Dolphins.

This Sunday, Phillips will have his fourth multi-reception game of the season.  He'll catch one to complete a third-down conversion.  On another play, Phillips will haul in a catch for a touchdown.

DeMarcus Ware

2 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 sacks, 1 pass deflection

Ware will have a happy day.  It'll be a happy day for him to do his sack dance, too.  Ware will be active in the Cardinals backfield, grabbing two sacks.

Also, he'll be active in the rushing game.  Ware will remind Wells how much more he wants to run inside than outside and he'll take down Wells once for a loss.

One wonders what happened to the Cardinals offensive line.  Traditionally, the Cardinals have blocked well under Russ Grimm, who often manages to coach subpar players into fine blockers.

While the Cardinals are 11th in yards per rushing attempt (4.5), they allow sacks on nine percent of drop backs.

What happened?

Did Grimm lose his collection of fuzzy sweaters?

Dan Bailey

2/2 FG, 4/4 XP

Bailey will have a very nice game once again, attaining his requisite 10 points.  Also, Bailey will be perfect as usual.  Hopefully, he'll earn some hardwood at the end of the season.

Prediction

Prediction: Cowboys 34, Cardinals 14

The Cowboys will have a very successful day en route to their fifth straight victory.  Romo will be on target almost every time.  Murray won't be flashing across the field, but he'll do well enough to move the ball in the second half to sustain drives and milk the clock.

The Cowboys will be strong defensively.  Ware and other pass-rushers will haunt Kolb much of the day, though he may still throw for 230 yards.  Not all is bad for the Cardinals when Kolb is on the field.  Sean Lee will help Jay Ratliff and company slow Wells to fewer than 70 yards rushing.

The Cowboys are experiencing remarkable success.  Some may wonder whether they can maintain their standing atop the NFC East.  That's all a matter of whether they can beat the New York Giants and the losing teams remaining on their schedule.

This will be a good start to the finish of the regular season.