Is Sunday a must-win game for the Cowboys against the Atlanta Falcons? Probably not. Dallas has eight games left after this Sunday, essentially half a season, an eternity by NFL standards. However, a win on Sunday would provide a tremendous boost to a team that got their confidence shook and their chain snatched against the Denver Broncos this past week.

Maybe the Cowboys decided to wait a week on Halloween and dress up as the Eagles last week. Who knows who that team in blue and silver was last Sunday afternoon at AT&T Stadium, but it was definitely not the same Cowboys team that had blitzed its way to a 6-1 record.

Those six wins came with Dallas facing a myriad of injuries and suspensions, and this Sunday against the Falcons will be no different as relentless pass rusher Randy Gregory was put on injured reserve with a calf strain. He will be out at least the next three games. When you take a peek at the upcoming schedule, it makes coming out with a victory at home against Atlanta all the more important this week.

So how will the Cowboys get back in the win column? First, they have to look in the mirror. Dallas made so many uncharacteristic mistakes against Denver. It started with quarterback Dak Prescott missing routine throws, continued with special teams' miscues, and finished up with the defense getting gutted. Sprinkle in the standard poor officiating and that is a recipe for a disastrous game.

BOUNCE BACK

All reports coming out of the Star this week have illustrated the Cowboys taking full responsibility for their poor play. From Prescott pointing out his poor footwork on throws, to Amari Cooper discussing taking his eyes off the ball leading to his first drop of the season. The accountability is refreshing to see, but just cleaning up the mistakes may not be enough to beat this Atlanta team.

The Falcons roll into Dallas with a 4-4 record after beating the Saints on the road in New Orleans last weekend. In fact, Atlanta has won 4 of its last 6 games after starting the season 0-2. Three of their four wins have also come on the road.

Winning in the NFL is by no means easy and nothing is given. Just ask the Cowboys about last weekend. But let’s dive into the Falcons wins just a bit. They beat a Giants team by 3 points, a Jets team by a touchdown, squeaked by the Dolphins 30-28, and beat a Saints team that just lost its starting quarterback the week prior. Throw in losses to the hapless Eagles and broken Panthers and this Atlanta team is far from impervious.

FALCONS DEFENSE

Defensively, Atlanta ranks toward the bottom of the league in multiple categories. For starters they are giving up 27.5 points per game, ranking them 28th in the league. Opposing quarterbacks are racking up a whopping 68% completion rate while only throwing three interceptions against this secondary as well. One thing the Falcons will do very well is limit the explosive play. They have given up ZERO plays of 40+ yards, tops in the league, as well as just 25 plays of 20+ yards all season.

Against the run Atlanta sits right in the middle of the pack for most categories. They have given up 4.4 yards per carry as well as seven touchdowns, but just like in the passing game they do a great job at limiting the big play, having given up just 3 runs of more than 20 yards all season. The Cowboys' offense is going to have to be extremely sharp and very efficient in order to drive the ball down the field against this team. More mental errors and miscues could easily lead to a carbon copy of last week.

FALCONS OFFENSE

On the other side of the ball, Matt Ryan has this offense rounding into form a bit despite missing his main weapons of past years. No Julio Jones, no Calvin Ridley, enter Kyle Pitts and Cordarrelle Patterson. Patterson has had a career resurgence in Atlanta. First-year head coach Arthur Smith is using the multi-talented athlete out of Tennessee in a multitude of ways. From a traditional running back to a third-down back to a wide receiver to a gadget guy. The Dallas defense must know where #84 is on every play. If they don’t, chances are you will find him waiting for you in the endzone.

Who will match up with Kyle Pitts?

Kyle Pitts is slowly but surely getting accustomed to the NFL game. After a modest start to his career, Pitts posted 9-119-1 and 7-163 lines in weeks 5 and 6. With Micah Parsons expected to resume more of a pass-rushing role due to the absence of Gregory, the Cowboys must find a way to prevent Pitts from wreaking havoc in the middle of the field.

Statistically speaking the Falcons are a much better team through the air than they are on the ground, which could bode well for Dallas. On the ground Atlanta averages just 3.4 yards per carry, ranking them 31st in the league. Only the Texans at 3.3 YPC are worse. In fact, the Falcons longest run of the entire year is just 18 yards.

Where Atlanta will get you is through the air. Matt Ryan is a savvy vet who has seen just about everything a defense can throw at him. He is boasting a 68.8% completion percentage this season, good for fourth in the league. With pass rush, a real question mark for the Cowboys this week, look for Matt Ryan to keep the Falcons in the game for four quarters with his arm against a Dallas defense that had its confidence shaken a bit last week against Teddy Bridgewater.

At the end of the day this is a game the Cowboys should win at home if they have any real aspirations at the #1 seed in the playoffs. But as last week demonstrated, nothing in this league is given or assumed and the Falcons have just enough firepower to send Dallas on its first losing streak of 2021.

Featured Image:Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Editor: Tony Iosso