With the divisional race already locked up, the NFC playoff picture continues to take shape. Both the Dallas Cowboys (11-4) and the Arizona Cardinals (10-5) will be a part of that picture but still have plenty to fight for when they meet up this weekend.
Arizona needs a win to keep pace in the NFC West while Dallas severely needs a win to have a shot at the NFC's top seed.
Here are 14 additional 'big facts' to note ahead of Sunday's 3:25pm CT kickoff at AT&T Stadium.
Heading into Sunday's game, here are some big facts that might have gone unnoticed about the Cowboys, the Cardinals and much more.
Best Home Team and Best Road Team?
Dallas currently leads the NFL with 38.4 points per game and 426.1 yards per game at home this season. Additionally, their 5-2 record at home is one of the tops in the NFC. However, it's still not at stout as Arizona's road record which sits at 7-1, thanks in large part to their defense forcing over 2 turnovers per road game on average.
Top 10 Gunslingers
Both Kyler Murray and Dak Prescott are well represented in the NFL's top-10 of major passing categories. They're each near the top of the list in completion percentage, passing yardage, passer rating, touchdowns, and winning percentage. However, Prescott has been playing much better than Murray as of late as he had as many touchdowns passing in the first half against Washington (4) as Murray has tallied over his last five games.
Wire to Wire
Not only did the Cowboys win every game in the month of December, but they never trailed at any point in the four games.
Perfect Month
The Cowboys went 4-0 in December for just the fourth time in team history since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978. The three other teams were 1993 (Super Bowl champions), 2007 (Divisional Round) and 2014 (Divisional Round). The Cowboys did go 3-0 in 1978 and 1979 when the playoffs started earlier.
Gimme 5 ... Again
With a win on Sunday, the Cowboys have a chance to become the fourth team in franchise history to post two separate five-game winning streaks in a single season. The Cowboys won six straight early in the season and have now won four consecutive games. They'd have to win out this year to become the first team ever to have two 6-game streaks.
Special Leader
Special teams ace C.J. Goodwin currently leads the team with seven special teams tackles. If he can maintain his lead, he'd become the first player in Cowboys history to lead the team in tackles three straight seasons. The team started charting special teams tackles in 1988. Only Bill Bates, Danny McCray and Byron Jones have led the team in special teams tackles two straight years.
Safety First
Jayron Kearse leads the team currently with 84 tackles. He can be the fifth safety in franchise history to lead the team in tackles for a season joining Michael Downs, Darren Woodson, Bill Bates and Barry Church.
Two More in Store?
Micah Parsons is just two sacks away from breaking the NFL's all-time rookie sack record that was set in 1999 by Jevon Kearse (Jayvon's Uncle). At the moment, his 13.0 sacks sits only behind Kearse and former Cowboys edge rusher Aldon Smith (14.0 in 2011) and tied with Dwight Freeney (2002).
Two-Headed Monsters
With just 40 more rushing yards, Tony Pollard can surpass the 750-yard mark this year. With Ezekiel Elliott nearing 900 yards, they would become the first running back duo in nearly 50 years to get over 750 in a single-season. Walt Garrison (784) and Calvin Hill each (1,036) were the last Cowboys teammates to each hit that mark in a season.
Falling off a Kliff
In head coach Kliff Kingsbury's three-year tenure with the Cardinals, he has started with a record above .500 through Week 8 every season without finishing strong. In 2019, Arizona lost seven of their last nine down the stretch. In 2020 it was five of their last seven. And this season, after a 7-0 start, the Cardinals have lost five of their last eight. This is a trend that dates all the way back to his time at Texas Tech where he had a winning record in six straight seasons before losing most of their matchups in the second half of the year.
Finishing Strong
The Cowboys have been especially good this year at the end of the half – both the first and the second. The Cowboys lead the NFL with 85 points scored in the final two minutes of a half, including eight touchdowns.
Six Trophies
So far this year, Micah Parsons has already won six different awards and that doesn't include the Pro Bowl selection. Obviously, he's eyeing both Defensive Rookie of the Year and possible NFL Defensive Player of the Year. But so far, Parsons has been NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month twice (November, December), NFC Defensive Player of the Week (Week 8 at Minnesota) and NFL Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week three times.
Feeling Like Home
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has had plenty of success at AT&T Stadium. In fact, that's all he knows when he heads to Arlington. Murray is 7-0 as a starter, whether it was leading his Allen (TX) High School Eagles to the state championships, or playing at Oklahoma or even last year's win over the Cowboys, Allen knows how to win in that building.
Winning the Shootouts
Sunday's game with Arizona could be another high-scoring affair, especially if Kyler Murray and the Cardinals get back on track. But over the years, head coach Mike McCarthy doesn't seem to mind a lot of points on the board. In his coaching career, his teams are 81-9 when they score more than 30 points in a game. This year, the Cowboys are 6-1 in those games, including a 56-14 blowout last week against Washington.
