NFC Game Of The Week

Atlanta Falcons at Dallas Cowboys

Falcons: They’ve been the laughingstock of the NFL for the last few years. That’s expected to happen when you have a huge lead on the biggest stage of them all that is the Super Bowl and you blow it. Unfortunately, that moment is forever going to remain in history. Since that moment, they’ve only made the playoffs once. This year, they’ve quietly been playing some good football. They dropped the ball against the Carolina Panthers in week eight, but last week in week nine, they got a huge win on the road against the Saints. The Superdome is one of the toughest places to play and with the win, the Falcons have inserted themselves in a competitive NFC race. I understand Matt Ryan gets a lot of flack for struggling. This year, he’s been playing well. I can say this is the best I’ve seen him play since 2016 when he won his only league MVP award. Atlanta has won three of their last four games. One of the biggest godsends to their offense has been Cordarrelle Patterson. He’s truly a swiss army knife because of all he can do on the field. One, he can line up in the backfield and take hand-offs as a running back. Two, he lines up in the slot or wide as a receiver and he’s a force in special teams. Everything he’s been asked to do, he’s done it. On Sunday, they’ll travel to Arlington.

Cowboys: They were punched in the mouth. There is no other way to put it. Everything looked as if it were going to roll once again. Entering Sunday, they were winners of their last six games. The Denver Broncos came in with a specific game plan and stuck with it and it showed. When you physically bully a football team and they can’t recover until the fourth quarter, that means you’ve done your job. What exactly went wrong for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday? Their running game which has been a staple of their success this year was eliminated. The game was put into the hands of Dak Prescott and they could never get into a rhythm. Anytime I break this football team down, I always say two things. The first is they need balance to operate. This is an offense that succeeds when the ball is being evenly distributed amongst running the ball and throwing it equally. Against Denver, Ezekiel Elliott only had ten carries. Dak threw the ball 39 times which was too much. Now, as improved as their defense is, I’m still concerned. Trevon Diggs has been great. There’s no denying that. Outside of him though, who else do they have to cover people? Micah Parsons is showing why the team drafted him. I ask the same question: Outside of Micah, who’s a consistent force at linebacker? They will look to bounce back on Sunday with the Falcons coming to town.

Falcons X-Factor: Cordarrelle Patterson– He’s truly going to give the Cowboys defense a problem because of the versatility he displays. The Falcons will find the best possible mismatch and exploit it to the best of their abilities. He’s listed as their running back, but does so much more than make plays out the backfield. I can’t wait to see how the Cowboys prepare to limit him and his playmaking.

Cowboys X-Factor: Cedric Wilson– When Michael Gallup got hurt, Cedric stepped up and in a big way. He’s emerged as the true number three option for Dak Prescott. This is a smaller receiver that can sneak his way into spaces on the defense and Dak will find him. If you give him any type of wiggle room in coverage, he will make you pay. Cedric can also catch passes in the flat.

Final Analysis: These two played each other last year. Tell me if you heard this before. The Falcons had a big lead and they let it slip through their hands. Both teams now are more well-rounded than they were a year ago. The Falcons have been stout against the run this year. It could be tough for the Cowboys to get back to running the ball. Atlanta doesn’t have the strongest pass rush or secondary so I expect Dak to return to form once again. The Cowboys took one .500 team too lightly and paid for it. I don’t see that happening again.

Prediction: Cowboys 35, Falcons 24