The Dallas Cowboys are still the leaders in the NFC East despite a surprising loss in Week 9. Will they rebound right away by beating the Atlanta Falcons? Or will the Falcons go over .500 with a win over the Cowboys on the road? Check out our preview of this game below.
The Falcons have gotten better of late. After a 1-3 start, they are now 3-1 in their last four games. Last Sunday, Matt Ryan and the Falcons defeated the New Orleans Saints on the road, 27-25, with the quarterback showing that when he’s in his rhythm, he can be just as best as anyone. Ryan passed for 343 yards and two touchdowns without an interception on 23/30 completions. He has now passed for at least 330 yards in three of the last four Atlanta games. During that stretch, the former NFL MVP also tossed seven touchdowns against three interceptions. With momentum by their side, the Falcons will look to add to the Cowboys’ frustrations this coming Sunday. The Cowboys can be stingy against the pass because of Trevon Diggs, but Ryan can also find success against Dallas’ stop unit that entered Week 9 just 28th in the NFL with 278.1 passing yards allowed per game.
The Falcons are 3-0 against the pass in their last three games overall.
Dak Prescott’s return from a calf injury was met by a bitter 30-16 home loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 9. The Cowboys’ offense had a hard time putting together scoring drives until it was too late for Dallas to claw itself out of a hole. Prescott went 19/39 for 232 passing yards and two touchdowns and an interception, while the Cowboys’ run defense was abused by the Broncos for 190 rushing yards. While there will be questions about the sturdiness of Dallas’ run defense, that might not matter all that much in Week 10 against Atlanta’s pass-heavy attack. (The Falcons went into Week 9 just 27th in the NFL with only 87.0 rushing yards allowed per game.) Atlanta’s got defensive problems of its own, and given the level of talent on the Cowboys offense, Dallas should be able to do a better job on that side of the ball in Week 10.
The Cowboys are 5-1 against the spread in their last six games overall.
