The momentum the Falcons the amassed during their three-game win streak was squandered with a dreadful loss to the Browns last week.
Now, the Falcons (4-5) find themselves in rebound-mode again and set to face the Cowboys (4-5), who are also trying to find their way this season.
The Falcons, who were steamrolled for 211 yards rushing last week, must stop, or at least slow down, Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott, who's coming off an 151-yard performance. They also must figure out ways to score against Dallas' top 10 ranked defense.
The Cowboys’ defense is ranked third in points allowed (19 per game), seventh in total offense (328.6 per game), eighth in rushing yards allowed (96.7 per game) and ninth in passing yards allowed (231.9 per game).
Will Falcons take Cowboys seriously?
Maybe it was the sub-40 degree weather, but whatever the reason, the Falcons came out flat against the Browns and were body-slammed. Quite frankly, they are not good enough to take anybody lightly. And according to linebacker De'Vondre Campbell, they didn't take the Browns seriously and paid the price.
The Falcons had their attitude adjustment sessions.
“We just have to treat every week the same,” Campbell said. “No matter what the situation is, we just have to approach it the same. ... You’re in the NFL. Everybody is good. If you don’t treat every week the same, that’s when things get away from you.”
The Falcons know they need a victory over the Cowboys to stay on the fringes of the NFC playoff race and garner the head-to-head tiebreaker.
“The NFC is a tough (conference),” Campbell said. “Other than the Rams and the Saints, everybody is kind of in the same class right about now. Everybody is hungry. At this point, it’s about who wants it more.”
Short yardage woes continues
The Falcons loss to the Browns was particularly tough because they were stopped on a half-yard line on a fourth down early in the fourth quarter.
We’ve seen the Falcons stall and make bizarre calls in short-yardage situation since Super Bowl LI.
The Falcons were stymied in short-yardage situations against the Bills last season, at the Eagles in the playoffs and to start this season and against the Browns.
This issue should have been fixed by now. Against the Browns, the fullback wasn’t even active.
However, no change in philosophy is forthcoming.
“The reason I say that is because you do want to feature the things that the guys can do best,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said.
The Falcons put in some extra work in short-yardage situations this week.
“(We are) definitely digging into that hard to say what gives us the best chance in these moments because those are the ones where it’s third-and-ones, third-and-twos, fourth-and-ones, and fourth-and-twos that you really want to make a chance to get it,” Quinn said. “It was good to see, I think it was Ito (Smith) and Mohamed (Sanu) on the wildcat that one looked good. Then on the goal line on fourth down and one, obviously those are ones that we need to get better at.”
The pass to third-string tight end Eric Saubert was incomplete in that situation last week.
Cowboys WR Amari Cooper vs. Falcons CBs: The Cowboys picked up Cooper, who was the fourth overall pick in 2015, from the Raiders at the trading deadline. He's made an impact in two games as he's moved around the offense. Cooper has caught 11 of 18 targets for 133 yard and a touchdown. Cornerbacks Desmond Trufant, Robert Alford and Brian Poole have all struggled in coverage this season.
Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence vs. Falcons RT Ryan Schraeder: Lawrence leads the Cowboys in sacks with 6.5 and also plays the run well. "His ability to rush the passer is as good as anybody," Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said. "He gets after the passer really well." Schraeder has improved since a poor outing against Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt earlier this season.
Cowboys LT Tyron Smith vs. Falcons DEs Takk McKinely and Bruce Irvin: In the Falcons' 27-7 victory over the Cowboys last season, Smith didn't play and Adrian Clayborn abused the backup tackles for six sacks. Smith, a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, is one of the best tackles in the NFL. McKinley leads the Falcons in sacks, but has just one over the past five games. Irvin, in his first game with the team, played 14 defensive snaps on the right side at end and tackle against the Browns.
QB corner: Matt Ryan on the Cowboys
On how rooke linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is playing: "Good player, long, athletic, can run. Is physical in the run game. Is opportunistic when the ball is in the air. Can make plays and had a nice little return too. ... He has done a nice job for them."
On DE DeMarcus Lawrence: "Has a number of different moves so we certainly have to account for where he is at, but they're competitive and tough all across the defensive line. I think that kind of sets the tempo for their defense on how they play up front."
On whether the secondary plays mostly zone: "No, they'll play some man-to-man as well. A lot of single-safety. They'll play cover-three, but they'll man up too. They'll have opportunities for tight man-to-man coverage."
About the Cowboys
» The Cowboys are coming off a 27-20 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles.
» The Cowboys are the world’s most valuable sports team for the third straight year at $4.8 billion, according to Forbes.
» This will be the 26th regular-season meeting between the Falcons and the Cowboys. The Cowboys lead the series 14-11. The Falcons have won the last three meetings.
» The teams met twice in the playoffs with Dallas winning both times, including the dramatic 30-27 victory when Danny White tossed a touchdown pass to Drew Pearson with 42 seconds to play. The Falcons blew a 24-10 lead in that game.
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