The Cowboys travel to Atlanta looking to get back on the winning track after losing two straight games. At 3-4, the Cowboys will try to get to .500 against a Falcons team that already has five wins, sitting at 5-3.
Dallas is familiar with Falcons QB Kirk Cousins, who is 2-9 all-time against the Cowboys as a starter with Washington and Minnesota.
This will be the Cowboys' first trip to Atlanta since the 2018 season.
Here are the staff predictions for Sunday's game with the Falcons:
Tommy: I have a feeling this game is going to see a lot of points on the board. Two teams that have been inconsistent in getting a pass rush defensively and two offenses that love to throw the ball typically leads to some fireworks. The Cowboys have faced a brutal stretch of elite pass rushers throughout this season, and I think that experience is going to play a part in this game. Not that Matthew Judon and Grady Jarrett aren't elite in their own right, but Dallas has been battle tested up front to this point and I see this week as a chance for this front to finally get some push up front offensively. The difficult part comes on the defensive side of the ball, slowing down Kirk Cousins and Atlanta's plethora of skill talent. They're going to get theirs and have success, but can the Cowboys defense do what they did against San Francisco last week and get enough stops to give Dak Prescott and the offense a chance? I think this week they do, and Dallas picks up a big confidence-boosting win on the road. Cowboys 31, Falcons 30
Kyle: Believe it or not, being one game under .500 after seven games doesn't mean the season is over. I find it hard to believe that the Cowboys, with all the talent they've added over the last few years, has taken that big of a step backwards. Yes, injuries have played a factor and haven't helped the transition to a new system on defense. No, the offense has not found their rhythm. But it has to turn around sometime. I'm choosing to have a little optimism about the offense this week as they face an Atlanta defense that fails to get pressure on the quarterback. Giving Dak Prescott more time to find his open targets and lead the Cowboys to a 30-23 win on the road.
Patrik: I'm not sure why folks keep asking players and coaches if this is a must-win. You're damn right it is, period. The team has lost two straight, one coming out of a bye week and one being a humiliation going into the bye week, and it's currently a perfect storm of inconsistent play over the course of four quarters, giveaways, lack of takeaways and the fact they're ravaged by injury on the defensive side of the ball (now including a calf tear on Trevon Diggs). And it's that defense that must now face a fully-formed and potent Falcons' offense, on both the ground and in the air, and it's difficult for me to see how the Cowboys can withstand that onslaught for ... wait for it ... four full quarters. I do believe the offense can get going against the league's worst pass rush and a coverage scheme that will allow for a lot of underneath work, but the accuracy has to be there from Prescott and the YAC has to be there from his targets. This could very well turn into a bit of a shootout that Dallas could sneak a win out of, but until I see the Cowboys playing good football again, on either defense or offense (preferably both) I can't pick bad football. I'm hoping they prove my score prediction wrong, because I know they can. Falcons 30-28
Nick: I didn't feel great about picking the Cowboys to beat the 49ers last week but I just had this hunch things would turn around and maybe that would be the week. Even though I was wrong, that hunch hasn't left. I just don't see the Cowboys as a 3-5 team. And right now, I can't see the Falcons sitting at 6-3. And those would be the records for each team if the Falcons win this game, so I'm just not going there. I think the Cowboys figure out a way to run the ball. This Atlanta team only has six sacks this year, so I think the Cowboys will be able to throw the ball around and with that, it will open up the running game. Now, who's going to get those carries? Nah, I don't have the energy to try and predict that. I'm sure Rico Dowdle will be back in the mix. But I think the offense will move the ball and it'll be somewhat of a shootout. But until I see Kirk Cousins dominate this team, I'm not going to assume it will happen. First trip to the ATL in six years usually means a ton of Cowboys fans will be in the building. I think the energy will be high, the scores will be as well but I'll go with Dallas, 30-21.
Mickey Spagnola: You know, sometimes you just get a feeling, and got one about this Running Back by Committee heading into the game against the Falcons. The Falcons have given up at least 100 yards rushing in all eight of their games, including a high of 186 to the Eagles and 160 the first time around to the Bucs. And I don't care if it's Rico Dowdle, Ezekiel Elliott or Dalvin Cook getting the yards. But if this Committee can rush for more than 100 yards, that will give Dak Prescott added protection in the pocket and maybe keep the defense off the field a little longer. And if those three things happen, the Cowboys don't lose three consecutive games for the first time since Weeks 6-9 of the COVID-affected 2020 season.
