The Dallas Cowboys desperately need to get a win on Sunday versus the Atlanta Falcons.

That much is clear. Dallas opened the 2020 season with a loss on the road to the Los Angeles Rams and will take on the Seattle Seahawks in week three. The Falcons are sandwiched in between, and Atlanta presents a legitimate threat to Dallas thanks to an impressive passing attack.

The Cowboys will be without some key players on Sunday: Leighton Vander Esch (collarbone), Blake Jarwin (ACL), and La'el Collins (hip) are on injured reserve, and Tyron Smith is currently listed as questionable for week two with a neck injury. That is, obviously, not ideal!

Therefore, the Cowboys need several of its players to step up. Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliot, and Zack Martin will be counted on as usual, but others players on the roster will also be forced to step up and deliver in their role.

Trevon Diggs, CB

The Falcons have one of the elite passing offenses in all of the NFL. Matt Ryan is coming off of a 400-yard performance in week one against the Seahawks, and Atlanta has a talented wide receiver corps that is headlined by Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley.

Needless to say, the Cowboys secondary will be tested early and often on Sunday — and without starting defensive back Anthony Brown in the lineup. That means we are looking at rookie cornerback Trevon Diggs to make an impact and rise to the challenge that will be presented to him.

Diggs will likely have his hands full when covering the Falcons receivers, but head coach Mike McCarthy is fully confident in the abilities of the second-round rookie.

Mike McCarthy: “I don’t have any hesitation on playing (Trevon Diggs), no disrespect to Julio or any of their WRs. He’s earned the starting position at (CB) for so many good reasons. He’ll line up and play & the game will unfold the way it does. He’s a very impressive young man.” pic.twitter.com/fAn0Ach8Iz

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 17, 2020

Jaylon Smith, LB

Week one was rough for the linebacker corps. Not only did Leighton Vander Esch leave the game against the Rams early due to injury, but the Rams also attacked Jaylon Smith through the air and in the run game.

Smith has had an up and down career to this point. There is no denying that the 2016 second-rounder has been much better when Vander Esch is on the field making plays with him; however, LVE has been sidelined with injury for much of the past two seasons and Smith has struggled mightily.

Jaylon over plays Higbee outside and gets beat across his face. Really wide base makes it difficult for him to change direction efficiently. pic.twitter.com/ixBlYIfYjE

— John Owning (@JohnOwning) September 14, 2020

The Falcons present threats to the Cowboys through the air (obviously) and on the ground with former Rams running back Todd Gurley in the backfield with Matt Ryan. Gurley rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown in a game in which both teams prioritized throwing the football, as evidenced by 772 combined passing yards and six combined passing scores.

Dallas cannot afford the Falcons to become two-dimensional and allow Gurley to complement their air rad attack. Smith will have to have a big game in stopping the run, and you can expect Ryan to test the Cowboys linebacker through the air as well.

Terence Steele, OT

The Cowboys will be without right tackle La'el Collins for the second consecutive week, as Collins was placed on injured reserve prior to week one and is not eligible to return until week four. There is also some doubt that left tackle Tyron Smith suits up versus the Falcons.

That puts even more pressure on undrafted rookie tackle Terence Steele, who started in place of Collins in week one.

Thought Terence Steele performed adequately until DAL's final drive, where he struggled. IMO, he was the main reason DAL struggled to move the ball until the refs stole it from them.

Undersets & poor punch placement/timing with outside hand provided a soft edge for Polite/Floyd pic.twitter.com/zOKQ06zkU0

— John Owning (@JohnOwning) September 15, 2020

The last time that the Cowboys were without Tyron Smith when playing the Falcons, it was not pretty for Dak Prescott and company. While Adrian Clayborn is not going to be pressuring Prescott on Sunday, the Falcons still have the ability to make things difficult for the Cowboys offense

Another player to watch is Brandon Knight, who could be in line to start for the Cowboys if Smith is not able to give it a go. The offensive line is going to be key in this game.

The Cowboys have the firepower to keep up with the Falcons offense, but that won't be able to happen if Prescott is not given time to get the ball to his weapons.

Featured image via Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports