Falcons At Cowboys GAMEDAY: A 'Shock' Coming?
FRISCO - Two NFC teams looking for their first win of the 2020 season. A perfect sunny, 75 degree, fall Sunday in the South. Enough offensive weapons to fill a fantasy football roster. Two defenses with a lot to prove ...
The Dallas Cowboys host the Atlanta Falcons and look to avoid what would be a devastatingly disappointing 0-2 start. The Cowboys will take the field at AT&T Stadium in front of some fans total attendance TBD) in the stands cheering on their boys in blue.
Which team will rebound?
Which team will find itself shockingly at 0-2.?
ODDS: Dallas is a 4.5-point favorite and the over/under is 53 points.
FUN FACT: The Falcons have been historically and strangely successful in Week 2: Atlanta is 5-0 in Week 2 since 2015.
COWBOYS KEY TO VICTORY: Dallas must convert on third (and maybe even fourth) down, an area both the Cowboys and Falcons both struggled in crucial moments in Week 1. Dallas must execute better than they did against the Rams, converting only a quarter of their third-down snaps (3-for-12) and going 1-for-3 on fourth downs. The Falcons converted half of their third-down tries vs. Seattle but ended up 0-for-4 on fourth downs. ... Dallas won't shy from putting rookie cornerback Trevon Diggs on Falcons star receiver Julio Jones ... Could this be the week that Brandon Carr gets a shot in the secondary? ... It's worth watching to see if Dallas becomes more reliant on other pass-catching spots or still tries to get production out of a tight end group now missing Blake Jarwin.
QUOTABLE: "It was really strange playing with no fans," Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott said of the Cowboys game vs. the Rams in SOFI Stadium. "I think it will be an advantage just because you will get some crowd noise, but I'm not really sure how many fans we'll get to have. I don't know if it will be enough to make that much of a difference. But it was definitely weird kind of being out there and just kind of having stale air. In that environment, especially when they're not playing any crowd noise, you really got to bring your own juice, you got to create your own energy."
LINEBACKER SITUATION: The Cowboys are dealing with some serious injuries... Linebacker depth is a priority right now with starter Leighton Vander Esch on injured reserve (collarbone fracture, out 6-8 weeks after surgery) and linebacker Sean Lee out six weeks with a sports hernia.
Watch for Joe Thomas to again step in for Vander Esch alongside Jaylon Smith. In regard to depth, the Cowboys signed rookie linebacker Rashad Smith off the Bears' practice squad on Tuesday.
The other injury issue that stands out? Dallas' mad scramble in the O-line, where Tyron Smith is OUT due to a neck problem. ... and where Ron Leary, per Fish's scoop, is now in play.
INJURY UPDATE:
Falcons: Marlon Davidson DT (Doubtful), Charles Harris DE (Out), Kendall Sheffield CB (Out) CB Kendall Sheffield (Out), T Jake Matthews (Questionable)
Cowboys: Blake Jarwin TE (Out), Leighton Vander Esch LB (Out), Sean Lee LB (Out), Cam Erving T (Out), La'el Collins T (Out), Tyron Smith T (OUT), Anthony Brown CB (Out).
READ MORE: Cowboys Injury News: Starting CB To IR
READ MORE: Last-Minute Injury News: What They'll Do Without Tyron
READ MORE: Amari Cooper One-Word Injury Update
Game Time: Sunday, September 20, 12 p.m. CT
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
TV/Radio: FOX, 105.3 The Fan
Records: Cowboys (0-1 in 2020) 8-8 last season, Falcons (0-1 in 2020) 7-9 last season.
THE FINAL WORD: “We’re closer than you may think we are, but at the end of the day our honeymoon is over. It’s time to win games.” - Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy.
