The Cowboys (2-0) will host the Falcons (2-0) at 12pm and it’ll be the first complete game without Tony Romo or Dez Bryant starting the game. That being said, the Cowboys will have some tough sledding on the offense, and quick three and outs could take a toll on the defense if the Cowboys don’t get production from Brandon Weeden.
Make no doubt about it, this game is all about Brandon Weeden. We know what we have on defense and we know what weapons will be at Weeden’s disposal; however, it’ll be on Weeden to get the offense moving.
— Buck, Aikman, and Andrews will be calling the game on FOX.
Here are my keys to victory:
Limit penalties
The last two games have seen the offensive line tally up an unusual amount of penalties, varying from false starts, holding, and illegal formations. I’m not sounding any alarms yet, but I will say this — if the Cowboys have more penalties from the offensive line this week I’m looking at Frank Pollack. Do you think the penalties are due to Callahan no longer coaching these guys up? We’ll see, and we could get that confirmation if it happens for a third straight week — prove me wrong.
Protect Weeden
Weeden is a traditional pocket passer with limited mobility, so the offensive line will need to give Weeden a clean pocket. I anticipate the Falcons to through blitzes early and often to see if they can rattle Weeden into some boneheaded turnovers. The running backs will need to pick up those blitzes, so I wonder if we see more McFadden in this game. If the Cowboys can give Weeden time to work through his progressions, we should be ok offensively.
Get the ball to Dunbar and Beasley
The Cowboys will likely test out Justin Durant’s foot by keeping him busy covering the speedy Lance Dunbar, this could be a mismatch the Cowboys could expose, but Weeden better be careful because Durant has a knack for coming up with turnovers. Cole Beasley matches up against these Falcons’ safeties, and he could have more success in this game than he did against the gimmick Eagles. If the Falcons can take away those two players, they’ll win defensively. I do like our odds however, the Falcons will be bringing the #27 total defense to town, so we’ll see how that goes.
Marinelli vs Shanahan
Shanahan’s west coast style offense is effective with the receivers they have, and make no mistake, they are deadly. Marinelli knows this and has been absolutely masterful this season in defending against some pretty good attacking offenses. Where the Falcons will get exposed is in the trenches. Tyrone Crawford is going to maul the center and guards. The falcons running game will likely focus running on the left side as that is their stronger side of the line, and that’ll feed right towards Sean Lee all game long. I was right about Lee having a signature game last week, and he could have a repeat performance against the Falcons. Keep an eye on Byron Jones covering the Falcons tight ends, they’ll be a non-factor and if they test Jones, he could get a pick.
Big Splash plays
The Cowboys will need more big plays from any and everyone that can get it done. Last week I wanted Terrance Williams to get two big splash plays and he delivered. This week we’ll need that same production from Williams, and he’ll get those opportunities against the Falcons defense. If Williams has a quiet game, we’ll need those big splash plays to come from the other guys like Beasley, Dunbar, Escobar or whomever. The Cowboys return game has been quiet, so this could be a game where they get going and get us some good field positioning.
Live and Breathe Garrett’s Mantra
This game is at AT&T Stadium and the crowd will need to be rocking if they want to help the Cowboys throw the Falcons off their game. Get loud on 3rd down and stay on them through 4 quarters. These Cowboys were a resilient team last year, and this year we’ve taken on some major injuries early, but I truly believe Garrett’s program is working and this team will scratch and claw each play of the game until victory. If the Cowboys can win this game, it’ll be a true testament to what Garrett has been building here in Dallas. Let’s go Cowboys Nation!
What are your keys to victory?
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