IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Off to their best start in four years, the Dallas Cowboys head into Sunday's game against the suddenly gagging Arizona Cardinals with a chance to become a front-runner in the Super Bowl chase.

But first, they have a score to settle.

The Cowboys haven't forgotten the sand-in-their-eyes sting of a 20-7 first-round playoff loss to the Cardinals at Texas Stadium on Jan. 2. Coach Chan Gailey says they never will.

"Revenge or payback is not a war cry," Gailey said. "But anybody who was in that locker room after the game remembers what it felt like. That's one that still sticks in my craw, and I'm sure in a lot of the players', too."

Embarrassed and disappointed is how players describe their feelings after the loss to the Cardinals, a team they'd beaten twice in the regular season and 16 of 17 previous meetings.

Although most Cowboys quickly added they don't believe in playing for revenge, the feeling may be hard to suppress when they see the red jerseys and white helmets with the bird on the side.

"That game still burns in our mind," safety Darren Woodson said. "They ended our season early. Basically, everybody looks at them like the NFC East champions. They took it from us."

While Dallas (2-0) has recovered, Arizona (1-2) has had trouble living up to the higher expectations that come with being last year's darlings. The momentum generated by the Cardinals' first playoff trip since moving west and their first posteason victory in 34 years was lost through contract squabbles and injuries.

The bad run continued Monday night when big-play receiver Rob Moore was injured.

"We're a different football team than we were at the end of last season," Arizona coach Vince Tobin said. "Any carryover effect has been negated."

A sprained thumb and injuries along the offensive line have taken some of the sting from quarterback Jake Plummer. He has one touchdown and nine interceptions, producing the worst rating among starting QBs.

Plummer has yet to lead the Cardinals to any first-quarter points or first-half touchdowns. Arizona has trailed 21-0, 6-0 and 17-0 in a last-second victory over winless Philadelphia and losses to Miami and San Francisco.

"Do you know anything we can do about it?" Plummer said.

In the aftermath of the January upset, it became popular to say Arizona in Plummer's second year resembled Dallas when Troy Aikman was young. But anyone who suggests to Aikman that the 1998 and '99 Cardinals could be like the 1991 and '92 Cowboys gets the icy stare usually reserved for receivers who drop passes.

"There's a lot of teams they want to crown as the next champions or the next dynasty who never even get to the point that you can call them a great football team," Aikman said.

"I think Arizona can look back and say, `We really made some progress and we did some things right.' But now this year ... just getting to the playoffs and just winning a playoff game, that's no longer the criteria."

Aikman might be extra defensive because of the way the Cardinals rattled him in January.

Using up-the-middle blitzes, Arizona sacked him four times and forced his worst playoff performance. Dallas was just as helpless as Plummer slithered around for all the time he needed.

"We were just flat," said safety George Teague. "We kind of trotted out on the field and took it as another game and not a playoff game."

Gailey popped in the tape of that game several times as he prepared for this rematch. He always hit rewind before it ended. He'll only say that he went "far enough."

In a way, the Cardinals did the Cowboys a favor. By completely exposing their weaknesses, they gave owner Jerry Jones a checklist of things to fix in the offseason.

Jones signed center Mark Stepnoski and receiver Raghib Ismail and drafted speedy defensive ends Ebenezer Ekuban and Peppi Zellner. Even seventh-round pick Mike Lucky, a blocking tight end, was taken with Arizona in mind.

But the offensive line could be vulnerable again Sunday as right-side starters Everett McIver and Erik Williams could be out with leg injuries.

At least the Cowboys can look forward to having Deion Sanders, playing for the first time since toe surgery in April.

ARIZONA Season schedule and results

DALLAS Season schedule and results

September 12 @Philadelphia W 25-24 September 19 @Miami L 16-19 September 27 San Francisco L 10-24 October 3 @Dallas 1:00pm ET October 10 NY Giants 4:05pm ET October 17 Washington 8:20pm ET October 31 New England 4:05pm ET November 7 @NY Jets 1:00pm ET November 14 Detroit 4:15pm ET November 21 Dallas 4:15pm ET November 28 @NY Giants 1:00pm ET December 5 Philadelphia 4:05pm ET December 12 @Washington 1:00pm ET December 19 Buffalo 8:20pm ET December 26 @Atlanta 1:00pm ET January 2 @Green Bay 1:00pm ET

September 12 @Washington W 41-35 September 20 Atlanta W 24-7 October 3 Arizona 1:00pm ET October 10 @Philadelphia 1:00pm ET October 18 @NY Giants 9:00pm ET October 24 Washington 1:00pm ET October 31 @Indianapolis 1:00pm ET November 8 @Minnesota 9:00pm ET November 14 Green Bay 4:15pm ET November 21 @Arizona 4:15pm ET November 25 Miami 4:15pm ET December 5 @New England 8:20pm ET December 12 Philadelphia 1:00pm ET December 19 NY Jets 4:15pm ET December 24 @New Orleans 3:05pm ET January 2 NY Giants 4:05pm ET

Records source: STATS, Inc.

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