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.
The Cowboys opened with a road win in Cleveland, before we knew a victory over the Browns and quarterback Deshaun Watson was easy to notch. After suffering a loss in second week action to the Saints, New Orleans hasn’t won since, Dallas dropped a second straight home game to the talented Baltimore Ravens.
The Jerry Jones led organization now realized a couple things. First, a running game would be a good thing to have in the National Football League, the Cowboys don’t. Second, if they don’t start winning, with a pair of road games next on their schedule, they are not going to find themselves playing after the first week of January.
Dallas responded with a pair of road wins. First over NFC East Division rival New York, downing the Giants at MetLife Stadium, 20-15, and then winning on one of the tougher places to earn a victory for a road team, Pittsburgh. The Cowboys handed the Steelers their only home loss of the season, 20-17.
Since that win, nothing has gone right for the Cowboys.
Not only did they get blown out at home the Sunday following their win in Pittsburgh, but they lost again last week in San Francisco after their bye week. Which brings us to this week’s game, where the Cowboys are again looking down the barrel of getting pushed out of serious playoff hopes with a road game against an NFC opponent.
When they last were coming off a two-game losing streak on the road they beat the New York Giants while favored on the road. This Sunday, they look to end a two-game losing streak on the road but are getting a field goal on the spread against an Atlanta team coming off their second win of the season against their primary division competition.
It may not be the Cowboys year … but it will be their Sunday.
Qoxhi Picks: Dallas Cowboys (+3) over Atlanta Falcons