After two games out, Jeremiyah Love is back. And frankly, he's been aching to do just that. One sprained ankle in his first preseason game. The other one sprained not as seriously early in the regular season – the rookie running back believes it was against the Seahawks in Week 2 – but nagging enough for the Cardinals to sit him down.

"The rest was needed," Love said. "It helped me get back to myself."

And what would that be, exactly?

"Really the whole season, I haven't been able to feel like myself," Love said Friday, two days before the game in Dallas. "I haven't felt like Jeremiyah Love that the people see. I couldn't do what I wanted to do. You ain't see me hurdle anybody, any (expletive) spin move, none of that stuff."

Love said he hadn't missed games since high school, so it has been a long two weeks for him. The Cardinals leaned on Bam Knight and Tyler Allgeier, but even when Love has been in the lineup there have been mixed results.

"I think it's improved but still has a way to go," coach Mike LaFleur said. "Run game, it's a mindset and continuity. I know our guys have the mindset, no doubt. But continue to build that continuity with the mixture of guys we've got going."

Even after missing the games, Love remains the Cardinals' leading rusher by far, with 67 carries for 245 yards. Having him around in the red zone would seem to be a boost for a team struggling in that area, although Love wants to see the running game mean even more.

"We have to be the tone setters," Love said. "We are growing the identity as a running back room that we have to go out and set the tone.

"We have to be the backbone of the offense."

It will help to have Love, and for Love, it will help to be healthy. "I ain't myself if I ain't got my ankles," he said, which really is kind of poetic for a running back.

"If I got to, I'll go out and die on the field," Love added. "Whatever I need to do to help the team have success."

-- Part of the run game continuity LaFleur spoke about includes the offensive line, which is far from whole. The Cardinals already have been dealing with left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and right guard Isaiah Adams on IR. Backup right guard Jon Gaines II is also down with a knee injury, and now, Hjalte Froholdt – a DNP at Friday's practice – has a knee problem too.

If Froholdt can't play, Hayden Conner – who has been the fourth-string right guard starting, assuming rookie guard Chase Bisontis, out for the season, is included in the discussion – would have to slide to center. The Cardinals have Josh Fryar and Kingsley Eguakun on the roster as potential right guards.

-- A lot has been made of the Cardinals having little trouble in the recent past with the Cowboys. Facts are facts. The Cardinals have won eight of the past nine meetings. They won last year in a Monday night win for QB Jacoby Brissett. The stretch started in the Cardinals' Super Bowl season of 2008, when Sean Morey blocked a punt in overtime at then-University of Phoenix Stadium that Monty Beisel recovered in the end zone.

The Cardinals have never lost at AT&T Stadium, going 4-0 and winning with three different quarterbacks: Carson Palmer, Kyler Murray and Brissett. The last time the Cardinals lost in Dallas the Cowboys were playing at old Texas Stadium, Josh McCown was throwing a TD pass to Anquan Boldin and Drew Bledsoe was throwing a touchdown pass to Keyshawn Johnson – the original – in a 34-13 Dallas win.

"It's just crazy," Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb told Dallas reporters this week. "They punched us in the mouth every single time. They've always had more energy. They were more excited, regardless of if it was at 12 o'clock, Sunday night or Monday night.

"We've played them in primetime, they beat us there. We need to treat them as if they are a Super Bowl contending team, which they may be, you know what I'm saying? Hats off to them in their prep, and we just got to go match them. If not overpower them."

-- On the red zone topic, wide receiver Michael Wilson directed the responsibility toward the players on the field rather than coaches or playcalling.

"There have been some great playcalls but for whatever reason … Mike isn't the one out there not executing," Wilson said. "That starts with me, I think I've had a bunch of opportunities and haven't come down with the ball. It's on the players. We have to win one-on-ones. That's what the red zone is. You can only scheme up so much, it is winning your matchups."

-- Reminder that, for the rest of the country, the clocks change on Saturday night. That means the Cardinals-Cowboys game that kicks off at noon in Dallas will begin at 11 a.m. in Arizona, not 10 a.m. (It also means the State Farm Stadium kickoffs move to 2 or 2:25 p.m., which aren't my favorites, but I digress.)

-- The Cowboys call the second-highest percentage of pass plays this season according to Next Gen Stats (66.4 percent), which makes sense with pass catchers like Lamb and George Pickens. But against the Eagles on Monday, the Cowboys had 38 rushing attempts with a season-best 204 yards.

-- The Cardinals had a switch in their NFL Players Association voting rep this year, transitioning to Froholdt from linebacker Zaven Collins. Their first, second and third alternates are Budda Baker, Gardner Minshew and Trey McBride, respectively.

-- On Nov. 2, Homage is unveiling a new Pat Tillman shirt for fans, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Pat Tillman Foundation. Between Veterans Day, Tillman's birthday on Nov. 6 and the Cardinals' Salute to Service game on Nov. 15, it made sense to debut the shirts this month. The shirt features a version of the iconic Tillman yelling-on-the-field-without-a-helmet shot.

-- The red zone was fine for four games, with the Cardinals scoring touchdowns 9 of 13 times. It has not been fine the past two games with the 1-for-10 mark. The on-field whys are getting worked on, but is there a concern that there can be a collective mental block at some point?

"I hope we're mentally strong enough not to worry about that," LaFleur said. "I mean, we're going to be down in the red zone again this Sunday and we have to figure out a way to punch it in."

Quarterback Jacoby Brissett doesn't want to overplay trips inside the 20. And he acknowledged eventually, someone might be able to speak something into existence for themselves. Like LaFleur, though, he doesn't see it happening in this case.

"It's just a matter of playing good football (with a) clear mind, clear eyes, and just going out there and just doing our job."

See you Sunday.