After a road win over the Philadelphia Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys return home in Week 8. They will host the Arizona Cardinals, a team that has had their number in recent years.

Dallas should be favored in this one, considering they have the better team. That's been the case in many of their previous meetings, though, and they're 1-8 in the last nine meetings with the Cardinals.

A win would improve the Cowboys to 4-4 on the season, which would be huge for them as they chase the New York Giants in the NFC East. If that's going to happen, they need to pay attention to these three keys to victory.

Slow down Trey McBride

The Cardinals haven't had many players they can rely on offensively this season, whether that be due to injury or inconsistent play. One player that has been the exception is tight end Trey McBride.

After seven weeks, McBride has an NFL-leading 59 receptions for 472 yards and four touchdowns. He's been the one player who Jacoby Brissett can rely on and as hard as it will be, the Dallas defense has to limit him. McBride will make his receptions, but they need to keep him from picking up any extra yardage and can't give him anything easy.

Keep running the ball

For the first time this season, the Cowboys committed to running the ball in Week 7 and the results were phenomonal. Javonte Williams had a career-high 155 yards while averaging 6.2 yards per attempt. That made everything easier for the offense and kept the defense on the sideline, which is a huge plus for this team.

Going into Week 8, the Cowboys must continue with the same approach. Arizona is giving up 4.7 yards per rushing attempt and they're 23rd in the NFL in rushing defense. Dallas can take advantage of that and allow Williams to carry them to a second consecutive win.

Win on third down

Dallas has been excellent on converting third downs this season, currently sitting at No. 3 in the league with a 49.4 percent conversion rate. Defensively, they've been the absolute worst. The Cowboys have allowed a conversion on 52.9 of their third downs, which has been a major problem for them.

They have a chance to improve on that against the Cardinals, who are converting just 37.7 percent of their attempts. They've been better at stopping opponents, but are still middle of the pack, giving up the first-down 39.7 percent of the time.

To secure a win on Sunday, the Cowboys have to figure out how to convert on offense to keep the ball in their hands. Defensively, they need to get off the field, which means they must figure out a way to come up with the clutch stops. Winning this battle will be the ultimate key for either team.

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