As exactly no one expected going into the year, the Arizona Cardinals' Week 9 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys will decide which team takes over the driver's seat for the top playoff spot in the NFC. Yet somehow that's exactly where we find ourselves midway through the 2014 NFL regular season.
Cardinals vs. Cowboys 2014 picks and predictions: Experts split on big NFC matchup in Dallas
The experts don’t seem to agree on which team will win its seventh game of the season.
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By virtue of their 6-1 start, the Cardinals currently own the best record in the conference. What's amazing is they've gotten there without starting quarterback Carson Palmer for roughly half the season. Moreover, coordinator Todd Bowles' defense has played at an extremely high level despite missing Daryl Washington, Darnell Dockett, Calais Campbell and Patrick Peterson for part or all of the season.
At 6-2, Dallas has been equally surprising given how little the experts thought of the team at the start of the year. Still, there are concerns now that Tony Romo has aggravated his surgically repaired back, and his status for Sunday’s game remains up in the air.
As such, seven of the eight experts for CBS Sports sided with the Cardinals this week. Senior CBS columnist Pete Prisco sees it going 30-28 in favor of the visiting team:
The Cowboys are coming off a bad loss Monday night ... Plus, there are now questions about Tony Romo's back. That's not a good thing readying to play Todd Bowles and his blitzing defense. The Cardinals have the best record in the NFC. They will leave that way too. Cardinals take it.
On the other hand, SB Nation’s panelists have taken a different stance for the most part, with four of seven experts taking Big D.
| Week 9 | Ryan Van Bibber | Stephen White | David Fucillo | Danny Kelly | PFT Commenter | Matt Ufford | Joel Thorman |
| ARI vs. DAL | ARI | DAL | ARI | DAL | ARI | DAL | DAL |
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