Pickens Is Good to Go, Locke Is Back, and Arizona Owns a Four-Game Streak: Cowboys-Cardinals Kicks at Noon

By Jake "Star" Whitfield, RF Sports Radio Cowboys voice

Cowboys Nation, it is game day, and the drama of the week ended the way most of us figured it would. George Pickens is playing. Now the only question that matters is whether Dallas can finally beat a team that has had its number four straight times.

The facts

Dallas (3-4) hosts Arizona (2-5) at noon Central at AT&T Stadium on FOX. The Cardinals have won four straight against the Cowboys, per Cowboys Country on Yahoo Sports.

Pickens, listed questionable with shoulder and hamstring injuries after three limited practices, is expected to play, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday morning, per Sports Illustrated. Brian Schottenheimer had already said Friday he expected Pickens to play. The Athletic's Jon Machota reported Friday that Quinnen Williams and Caleb Downs were also limited and that Schottenheimer expects both to play as well.

On Saturday, Dallas activated safety P.J. Locke from injured reserve and elevated tight end James Mitchell from the practice squad, per DallasCowboys.com. Locke tore his plantar fascia in Week 2 and fills the only open spot on the 53-man roster, per Yahoo, and Cowboys Wire notes the room was created earlier in the week when the team released running back Emari Demercado. Mitchell comes up with Luke Schoonmaker (groin) questionable. KaVontae Turpin (ribs) and Dee Winters (calf) were ruled out Friday, and defensive tackle Kenny Clark (back) is questionable.

Arizona upgraded center Hjalte Froholdt to a full participant, and he will play, per Yahoo Sports. The Cardinals elevated defensive end Jared Harrison-Hunte and tight end Kenny Yeboah, with defensive lineman Walter Nolen still out.

Yahoo also noted Pickens played just 41 of 68 offensive snaps in the win at Philadelphia, down from his usual workload, and that he is in the final year of his deal with the Nov. 10 trade deadline approaching.

RF Sports Radio's take (opinion)

My take: forget the trade noise for three hours. Pickens on the field makes this offense different, period. The snap count in Philly was about the shoulder, the run blocking, or both, but you do not win this game by keeping your best deep threat on the sideline.

The Locke move is the one I like most. He knows Christian Parker's defense from their Denver days, per Yahoo, and a secondary that has been patched together all year finally gets a veteran voice back.

Here is the real test, though. Four straight losses to Arizona is not bad luck anymore. It is a pattern. The Cardinals are 2-5 and fighting for their season. Dallas just won a physical game on the road. If this team is for real, this is the kind of game you win by two scores, not by a prayer at the end.

And watch Clark. If he is inactive, the interior gets thin fast, even with Williams expected to go.

What to watch next

Inactives drop about 90 minutes before kickoff. Watch Pickens' snap share and the run defense early. For Friday's final injury report, read our Oct. 31 final injury report column, and stay with the season on our Dallas Cowboys page.

Radio question: is today a must-win at 3-4, or is the real must-win stretch still ahead before the trade deadline?

Sources: Yahoo Sports (Cowboys Country) - Amid Cowboys trade buzz, George Pickens status and 2 roster moves revealed; DallasCowboys.com - Updates: Locke activated, Mitchell elevated; Cowboys Wire - Cowboys activate S PJ Locke from IR, elevate TE; Sports Illustrated - Is George Pickens playing today?; Yahoo Sports - Cardinals make roster moves prior to Cowboys game.