Two teams that public opinion can vary on greatly and routinely in the wrong direction meet this Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Dallas Cowboys, who gain headlines every preseason on whether this is their year to win a Super Bowl even while they haven’t earned a Vince Lombardi Trophy since the 1995 season, come into this game with a losing record.
Their opponent, the home standing Falcons, added veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to their offense this off-season and got accolades like they were ready to compete for Super Bowl LIX. They have had more success than Dallas this year and come into ninth week action perched at the top of their division with five wins in eight decisions.
Early this year, it appeared that the Falcons would be pushed in their NFC South Division race by the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Yet, injuries to both those teams have found the Saints, after two lopsided wins to open the 2024 campaign, losing six straight games and only one game ahead in the standings of the worst team in football … the Carolina Panthers.
The Buccaneers have also been slayed by injuries. Their high scoring offense, triggered by quarterback Baker Mayfield, has been grounded by the loss of all their primary receiving corps. The injuries suffered by the Bucs left the door open for the Falcons to swoop into Tampa last Sunday and grab a second win of the season over their primary division competition.
In other words, while the Falcons were prepared for a tough division race, they now are sitting pretty with their competition folding like lawn chairs.
This may be a good thing for their playoff hopes, but it is not a good thing this week when they match up against a Dallas Cowboys team that is not enjoying the same division security.