ATLANTA — Going into Week 9, the Dallas Cowboys are looking for their first non-NFC East conference win this season. Aside from beating the New York Giants, the Cowboys are 0-3 against NFC opponents. They hope to buck that trend and climb back to .500 overall when they take on the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
Will they do it? Let’s look at some key aspects to this game.
Secondary concerns
Three weeks ago, leading up to the Cowboys’ game against the Detroit Lions, DaRon Bland was a full participant in the Wednesday and Thursday practices before not participating on Friday. He was listed as questionable on the final practice report. Bland was not activated for that game. He was not a participant in any practice leading up to last week’s game in San Francisco and didn’t play. This week, Bland again did not practice at all and was ruled out Friday.
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Additionally, Trevon Diggs did not participate in practice this week, nursing what Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones revealed to be a tear in his calf. Diggs, who was labeled as questionable on the final injury report, had a good rehab workout Friday and head coach Mike McCarthy said Diggs would be a game-time decision.
The small bit of good news is that rookie Caelen Carson is back from his shoulder injury. Based on Diggs’ availability, it will be interesting how the Cowboys choose to operate in the secondary. Will veteran slot cornerback Jourdan Lewis move to the outside, as he’s done in the past? With Drake London and Darnell Mooney, the Falcons are the only team in the NFL with two wide receivers with more than 500 yards receiving.
There have been growing pains for Tyler Guyton this season. The rookie first-round pick is adjusting to the NFL speed and talent, and adjusting to a position change, going from right tackle to left tackle.
“I think it’s all of it as a whole,” Guyton said. “Playing on this level is different. Also, switching sides is different. My team puts me in the best position possible to be the best player I am. … You want to be great, you’ve got to be hard on yourself. You’ve got to be your biggest critic.”
The Cowboys have had to help Guyton with added protection and chips off the line of scrimmage. For the Cowboys offense to flourish, Guyton needs to play better and cut down on the penalties. Guyton has six accepted penalties this season — three offensive holdings.
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Trade deadline
Earlier this week, we wrote about the five biggest areas of need for the Cowboys to potentially address before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline. Running back and defensive tackle were at the top of the list. Not a huge surprise considering that most felt like Dallas didn’t do enough at those positions in the offseason. Fans seemed to agree.
If the Cowboys could improve one of these position groups before the trade deadline, which would you pick?
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 1, 2024
The Cowboys aren’t expected to make any notable moves before the deadline, but Jones said Friday that they will look for “all the meat on the bone that can improve our team.”
Is there a trade that Jones could make Tuesday that would steal the headlines from the presidential election the same day?
Jones (laughing): “Yes.”
He didn’t give any specifics about what that move could be.
Jury duty
Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey finally spoke about his recent time on jury duty in Fort Worth. He said he originally pushed back serving, but when he called to push it back a second time, it was not allowed.
“It slipped through the cracks until it was too late,” he said. “It was definitely an ‘oh s—’ moment. I have a DA (district attorney) sister-in-law, and she said, ‘They will never pick you with your public-figure status.’ I disclosed that I had a sister-in-law who was in the DA’s office in Dallas, and my brother’s a lawyer. So, I was just kind of told I wouldn’t be picked, so I just sat there, and I didn’t really say much. I was definitely surprised when he picked me.”
Aubrey called the experience long, eye-opening, frustrating and depressing.
“I don’t really want to get into all the details of the story,” he added, “but it was very depressing and dragged on longer than anybody expected it to, so glad it’s over.”
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Predictions
Jon Machota, Cowboys beat writer: I’ve picked the Cowboys to win only twice this year, Week 2 versus the Saints and Week 4 against the Giants. I gave serious thought to making this the third time, but Micah Parsons and Bland being out, and Diggs, Zack Martin and Eric Kendricks being questionable made me lean toward the Falcons. I agree with Dak Prescott, this is a must-win game for Dallas. I just think the Cowboys come up short.
Matchup to watch: Cowboys DT Mazi Smith vs. Falcons LG Matthew Bergeron. Dallas’ 26th overall pick in 2023 came down to Smith and Bergeron, who ended up going 38th to Atlanta. Smith is graded No. 122 out of 122 defensive tackles by Pro Football Focus. Bergeron is No. 30 among 73 NFL guards. Falcons 24, Cowboys 17.
Saad Yousuf, Cowboys beat writer: I expect the Cowboys offense to take a step forward, especially against this defense. Prescott and CeeDee Lamb looked much better last week, especially toward the end of the game. However, the Cowboys defense remains decimated by injuries, and even if Diggs plays, he’ll be limited. The Falcons have a solid quarterback in Kirk Cousins and a talented supporting cast around him. Falcons 34, Cowboys 28.
Josh Kendall, Falcons beat writer: The over-under for Sunday’s Falcons-Cowboys game is 51.5 points, the highest number of the weekend and one of the highest of the season. The betting market doesn’t expect much defense, and why should it? Dallas is 31st in the league in points allowed (28.29). The Falcons are 19th (24.38). Both teams are in the bottom 10 in defensive EPA. Atlanta gets the edge because it can run the ball (sixth in EPA). Falcons 32, Cowboys 30.
Cowboys-Falcons must-reads
Falcons
• Falcons’ Kirk Cousins ‘everything we hoped,’ plus eyeing Parsons’ progress: 5 factors
• Talk about Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts hasn’t stopped, but the tone is changing
Cowboys
• Dak Prescott’s contributions won’t save Cowboys’ running game. So what’s the solution?
• Examining the Cowboys’ three 12-win seasons: What we learn from their wins and losses
(Top photo of Drake London and Kyle Pitts: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
