How Does The Atlanta Falcons' Secondary Match Up With The Dallas Cowboys' Wide Receivers ?
If you watched the Atlanta Falcons lose on Sunday, you can tell where things went wrong.
The failure to convert fourth down conversions, turnovers, and defense.
To be more specific on the defense, it was the secondary that didn’t have a good day against the Seattle Seahawks receivers.
A blatant defensive pass interference by Ricardo Allen on a third and long, Isaiah Oliver getting burned one-on-one on fourth down, and the receivers being open for most of the game were all recipes for disaster for a young secondary.
Coming into the game, the secondary was known to be one of the weakest links of the team, but no one expected it to be this bad.
To make up for their performance, they have to go up against Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and CeeDee Lamb this Sunday.
What a reward.
How The Falcons Should Match Up
If the Falcons thought that DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett were a problem, they’ll have their hands full this week with the Cowboys receiving core. If the Falcons want to match up with the Cowboys, this is what it should look like:
A.J. Terrell – Amari Cooper
Isaiah Oliver – Michael Gallup
Darqueze Dennard- CeeDee Lamb
Besides the double move put on Terrell on the fourth quarter, he played a good game. When you don’t see or hear much about a corner throughout the game, they’re doing something right.
On the other hand, Cooper was heard about a lot on Sunday night. One, because the loud Jalen Ramsey was covering him, but also because he had the most production of the Cowboys receivers.
Oliver didn’t have a bad game, but it was fourth down play where he was exposed. Yes, there should have been help over the top, but he could’ve done better disrupting DK Metcalf on the line of scrimmage. Gallup doesn’t have the size like Metcalf, but he has the speed to give Oliver problems. Since he plays on the outside, there isn’t a choice but for him to matchup against Gallup.
Dennard didn’t have his best game in the nickel on Sunday, as he looked a step behind most players. This week he’ll have to cover Lamb in the slot, where he saw most of his play against the Rams. Lamb is a rookie, but he has the speed to be a dangerous weapon for the Cowboys.
Keys To Success
If the Falcons are able to limit the speed and big plays of the Cowboys receivers, they’ll have a better outing than they did against the Seahawks. It’ll also be up to the safeties to give help where needed in the passing game.
The Cowboys clearly have the advantage, but if the Falcons play with some discipline, they can make it interesting.
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