FRISCO, Texas – The 4-5 Dallas Cowboys face a 4-5 Atlanta Falcons team on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The two teams have met 27 times with Dallas leading the series winning 16 and Atlanta winning 11. The Falcons have won the last three matchups, and the Cowboys are out to get revenge for the game they are still haunted by against Atlanta last season in 2017, when Dak Prescott was sacked eight times, 6.0 by DE Adrian Clayborn. The team got a bitter taste of the offensive lineup without pro-bowl left tackle Tyron Smith.
This season, the offensive line has undergone several changes: new o-line coach in Marc Colombo, new starting center in Joe Looney, and new starting LG Xavier Su’a-Filo. Su’a-Filo took over for rookie Connor Williams who had knee surgery last Wednesday and Williams was out on the practice field today doing individual work. There is no set guarantee as to who will start between the two once Williams is healthy, but fingers crossed this go around turns out better than the last meeting. If the Cowboys hope to takeover first place in the NFC East and bypass the Washington Redskins, they have to win on Sunday and again against Washington on Thanksgiving. They are two games behind at 4-5, and with a win on Sunday they will be one step closer.
Coming off the victory against the Eagles in week 10, the Cowboys have to keep the offensive momentum going with aggressive play-calling and dangerous ground game against the Falcons’ 4-3 defensive front and pro-bowl LB Deion Jones who was activated from injured reserve and poses a threat in coverage.
Defensively, Dallas has to contain Atlanta’s fluid route-runner Julio Jones, who has averaged 11 yards or more after the catch in every game during the 2018 season. He leads the league in receiving yardage with a 15.5 average after the catch.
“ He is a great football player, “ Jason Garrett remarked. “ One of those guys that get a lot of attention from every team he plays against…a big physical guy and he runs fast. He has quickness, explosiveness, and he is a great route runner. He can run a variety of routes and is a handful every time the ball is snapped. He can beat you with short throws and run after catch, intermediate, and certainly makes a lot of plays downfield as well. He is an outstanding player and we have to do a great job somehow someway disrupting him and affecting him, and get him off his rhythm because this guy has done a great job for them for years. “
The hotboyz will also have to be on top of their game in pass rush against Matt Ryan. He is the fourth leading passer in the NFL with 353 attempts, 251 completions, and a QB rating of 113.2. He has a powerful arm and the Cowboys’ defense will need to get to him with pressure before he can release to the receivers. Leighton Vander Esch was awarded the NFC defensive player of the week after the win against Philly where he recoded 13 tackles and his first career interception, and Dallas’ defense will need another strong performance from the rookie on Sunday!
