A win over a short-handed Philadelphia Eagles squad isn’t enough to convince us the Dallas Cowboys are ready to take their next step. What it did accomplish was keeping them alive in the NFC East race.
Now at 3-4, they take on the struggling Arizona Cardinals at home. This is no guaranteed win for Dallas, especially with Arizona having the edge recently, winning eight of the last nine meetings between the two teams.
There will be no shortage of pressure on the Cowboys as they look to get back to .500 and salvage their season. That said, no players will be facing more pressure than these four.
Jake Ferguson, TE
Every week, we have been seeing less and less of Jake Ferguson involved in the offensive game plan. He’s lost snaps to Brevyn Spann-Ford, who has become a far more consistent option as a blocker as well as a pass-catcher. Ferguson, who has proven to be a stellar option in the passing game in the past, has been all but phased out and had only one target on Monday.
On the year, he has 17 receptions for 115 yards and three touchdowns, but hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 3. He’s also averaging a career-worst 6.8 yards per attempt. Ferguson still has time to turn things around, but he has to prove he can be trusted. That’s tough to do with the limited opportunities, but this is where he is.
Rashan Gary, EDGE
In need of a veteran EDGE for their new defense, the Cowboys traded for Rashan Gary. There wasn no shortage of criticism for the move and through seven games, Gary has yet to prove the doubters wrong. He has just 16 total tackles and one sack.
While Gary was never seen as an elite pass rusher, he has always been praised for his run defense. That could make his lack of impact in getting after the quarterback forgivable, except for the fact that he’s struggled in this area as well. According to PFF, he has a run defense grade of just 33.9 which is dead last out of 112 qualified EDGE players. Going forward, Dallas will need more from Gary and with the trade deadline approaching, he needs to step up to avoid losing his job to an outside addition.
DaRon Bland, CB
DaRon Bland has been struggling since dealing with foot injuries during the 2024 season. Despite the concerns, the Cowboys signed him to a four-year, $92 million extension in 2025. Since signing the deal, Bland has continued to decline.
This year, he has a PFF grade of 47.4 overall and a coverage grade of just 46.2. His issues look even worse given the performance of Joey Porter Jr. on the opposite side of the field. Dallas keeps giving Bland the chance to prove himself, but eventually, they will have to consider benching him in favor of Cobie Durant.
Dak Prescott, QB
Sure, Dak Prescott had three touchdowns and no interceptions in the win over the Eagles, which took some of the pressure off his shoulders. Entering Week 8, however, there’s another type of stress he’s going to be dealing with.
For as much regular season success as Prescott has had, he simply hasn’t gotten it done against the Cardinals. Prescott is 1-3 against Arizona, with his only win coming in 2017, which was just his second season in the league.
In 2024, the Cowboys lost to the Cardinals with Joshua Dobbs filling in at quarterback. In 2025, Prescott and the Cowboys lost to Jacoby Brissett on a Monday Night Football game. The losses shouldn’t all be pinned on Prescott, but the Cowboys continue to lose despite having the advantage under center, and the pressure to change that falls on the shoulders of No. 4.
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