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Cowboys look to get in sync against Cardinals

Oct 7, 2008 - 2:17 PM DALLAS (4-1) AT ARIZONA (3-2), 4:15 pm EDT

GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) -- Widely anointed as the NFL's best team entering the season, the Dallas Cowboys enter Week Six still looking to regain the dominant edge that carried them through the first three months of 2007.

The Cowboys will try to find that form when they visit the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

Though they have won four of their first five games, the Cowboys have been out of step over the last two weeks, falling behind the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants and Washington Redskins in the NFC East.

Although the Cowboys bounced back from their first loss with a 31-22 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals last weekend, their performance was arguably worse in victory.

Dallas nearly blew a 17-point first-quarter lead against the winless Bengals and just held thanks to Patrick Crayton's serendipitous 15-yard touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter - a pass that deflected off intended receiver Miles Austin's hands and into Crayton's.

"I wouldn't say we're struggling," Cowboys tight end Jason Witten said. "We still put up 17 points in the first half and ran for 180 yards. I wouldn't call that struggling."

Dallas quarterback Tony Romo exalted the importance of winning ugly.

"You don't get crowned champions for being the best-looking team right now," Romo said.

The Cowboys certainly wouldn't qualify for that title at this point. Despite fairly impressive numbers, the high-powered passing game has not looked in sync and the defense continues to be vulnerable to the deep pass, registering just one interception all season.

That could be an issue against the Cardinals, who boast the second-ranked passing offense in the NFL.

Quarterback Kurt Warner is completing nearly 70 percent of his passes and leads the conference with 1,472 yards. His 10 touchdowns are second in the NFC, behind only Romo.

While a win over the NFC West-leading Cardinals would not be a surprise, a loss likely would put a huge cloud over a team touted to be the Super Bowl favorite.

Unlike the Bengals, the Cardinals may not let the Cowboys off the hook. They took down the previously unbeaten Buffalo Bills last week, and did so handily, coming away with a 41-17 blowout against one of the league's best defenses.

Despite being without injured wide receiver Anquan Boldin, Warner bounced back from a six-turnover performance in the previous week's loss to the New York Jets.

"It wasn't the first time I had a game like that and it probably won't be the last," Warner said. "You just have to bounce back."

Arizona, which is the fifth-highest scoring team in the league, is searching for its first division title since 1975.