NFL Week 17 stats you should know Can surging Cowboys continue winning ways against struggling Cardinals

NFL Week 17 stats you should know Can surging Cowboys continue winning ways against struggling Cardinals

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The clinched a playoff berth in the most unceremonious of ways last weekend: After losing at home to a COVID-19-depleted team Saturday night, the Cardinals got the right combination of results on Sunday to ensure they'll be in the postseason for the first time since 2015.It's a nice accomplishment, but it's hard to imagine the Cardinals doing much with it currently: They've lost three straight and five of eight since their red-hot 7-0 start. There are a multitude of factors, including significant injuries to , and .Simply put, the Cardinals have looked a shell of themselves over the past two months. They are currently the No. 5 seed Josh Hader Jersey in the NFC.On the other hand, the are heating up at the right time, having won four straight after a mid-season rough patch. Dallas is coming off its best win of the season: a 56-14 dismantling of Washington in which threw for 330 yards and four touchdowns in le s than three quarters' worth of action. The defense, meanwhile, continues to be an absolute terror led by and .Thus, Sunday's matchup looms large for both franchises. The Cardinals are hoping to not only avoid a fourth consecutive lo s, but also gain some momentum as the postseason looms. Dallas, meanwhile, is just one game back of the for the coveted No. 1 seed (and a bye) and hopes Prescott can build on his impre sive Week 16 performance. Here are the numbers that could play a key role come Sunday afternoon:When the Cardinals have the ball...How do Murray and the rest of Arizona's offense attack the Cowboys' outstanding pa s rush?There are two things the Cowboys do very well this season: Create pre sure and force turnovers. The two go hand-in-hand. Of the Cowboys' league-leading 33 turnovers forced, 11 have come when they pre sured the opposing quarterback. In their past three games combined, they have forced five turnovers when pre suring the opposing QB, most in the NFL over that span.During their four-game winning streak, the Cowboys have blitzed more often than any other team, sending five or more pa s rushers on 43.6% of opponent dropbacks, hoping to create havoc. Like the rest of his game, Murray's performance against the blitz has really fallen off ever since forced him to mi s three games.Kyler Murray Against the Blitz This SeasonPre-injurySinceYards per attempt11.27.4Completion percentage72%55%TD pct8.8%2.5%Pa ser rating130.487.0Unsurprisingly, those struggles have coincided with Hopkins' absence. This season, when Hopkins is on the field, Murray has a 131.0 pa ser rating when blitzed. When he's off the field, Murray has an 83.9 pa ser rating.So, what can Murray do to combat the blitz? The obvious and traditional answer is to get the ball out quickly to beat the pre sure. And while it sounds simple, it's also been what Murray does best against the blitz.When Murray releases the ball in 2.5 seconds or fewer against the blitz, he completes 76.4% of his pa ses and has a pa ser rating of 120, both top-five numbers in the NFL. When he takes more Paul Molitor Jersey than 2.5 seconds, those numbers fall to 105.1 and 52%. Check out this play in which Murray recognizes a blitz and, 2.4 seconds after receiving the snap, lofts a perfect pa s to . EL 3ERO DEL DIA PARA MURRAY3er TD que conecta el QB de los K.Murray, en esta ocasin Kirk recibe para 26 yds. | 31-13 Endzoners (@endzoners) Arizona's offensive line has been relatively average this season by most pa s-blocking metrics, and Murray can help out a lot by being decisive and accurate when Dallas brings blitzes. It's easier said than done, of course Dan Quinn's well-designed blitz schemes have confused offenses all year but if Arizona is to get back on track, it will need its star quarterback at his best.When the Cowboys have the ball...How does Dak Prescott fare against the Cover-3 look? The Cardinals play Cover-3 (a scheme in which three defenders cover the deep thirds of the field and four defenders cover the underneath zones) on 39% of opponents' dropbacks, the seventh-highest rate in the league this season.Prescott has had really good moments and really bad moments against this look. For example, here's an inexplicable pick-six from earlier this month: . with the pick 6 Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) And here's a perfect throw against that same coverage earlier in the season: This Dak Prescott Brandon Woodruff Jersey touchdown throw to Amari Cooper against the Carolina Panthers had a completion probability of 16.8% according to NFL Next Gen Stats.It was Dak Prescotts most improbable completion since 2019.(via Zebra Technologies) RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) For what it's worth, Prescott has been very good against Cover-3 the last two weeks, completing 22 of 26 pa ses (84.6%) for 212 yards. However, he's also taken four sacks when facing Cover-3 the last two weeks. He had only taken two sacks when facing Cover-3 prior to that stretch this season.One thing that has helped Prescott against the Cover-3 is sending players in motion. In the above touchdown to , Cooper had been in motion prior to the snap. Same with Cedrick Wilson on on Thanksgiving. Overall, Prescott has a 98.6 pa ser rating versus Cover-3 when there's pre-snap motion compared to 85.3 when there's not.Another thing working in Prescott's favor is that the Cardinals really struggle to create pre sure out of Cover-3 looks: Their 21.3% pre sure rate on those plays is the worst in the NFL. Should he have time to work the ball downfield, Prescott ought to continue his strong play against Cover-3 looks as Dallas hopes to run its winning streak to five straight.
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