NFL Pick: Arizona Cardinals vs Dallas Cowboys 8/13/21 NFL Picks, Odds, Predictions

The Arizona Cardinals host the Dallas Cowboys Friday in NFL week 1 preseason action from University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cowboys have one preseason game in the bag already, a 13-point loss to the Steelers. As for the Cardinals, this will be their first action of the 2021 season. Arizona went 8-8 last year and missed out on the playoffs. Check back all season long for free NFL picks at Sports Chat Place. 

Dallas had a disappointing season last year, going 6-10 overall and failing to improve on their .500 season from 2019. That finish left the Cowboys in third place in the NFC East and out of the playoffs for the second consecutive year. 

The Cowboys got some preseason action in on August 5 versus the Steelers. Dallas led for much of the game but couldn’t score after the first quarter in a rough 16-3 defeat. QBs Garrett Gilbert, Cooper Rush and Ben DiNucci combined for 238 passing yards and an interception. 

Over on the Cardinals’ side, things were looking promising initially last season, as the team shot out to a solid 6-3 start. The good news is that Arizona improved on their 5-10-1 record from the year before; the bad news is that the Cards lost five of their last seven games. 

Arizona would finish the 2020 season at 8-8 after the second-half collapse, missing the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year. Adding insult to injury, the Cardinals were tied with the Bears for the last Wild Card spot, but lost the tiebreaker due to the record versus common opponents. 

The Cowboys are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 games overall and 3-9 ATS in their last 12 versus the NFC. Dallas is 2-8 ATS in their last 10 road games and 0-4 ATS in the last four on grass. 

Meanwhile, the Cardinals are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 as a favorite and 2-7 ATS in their last nine overall. Arizona is 1-4 ATS in their last five home games and the under is 9-3 in their last 12 versus the NFC. 

PICK: I’m going to take a shot on the Cowboys. We’ve gotten to see a few potentially promising things out of Dallas, even with the 13-point loss in their first game. The Cowboys edged out Pittsburgh in most categories, like total yards (347 to 250), yards per play (5.1 to 4.2), first downs (19 to 15), etc. That said, Dallas also gave up four sacks and coughed up three turnovers. If the Cowboys can keep the mistakes minimal here I think they can keep their offense moving well enough to bag a cover/win.