The Atlanta Falcons will take the field in the Georgia Dome later today against a stubborn Dallas Cowboys team. The Falcons will be looking to go 8-0 and will be playing in front of America on Sunday Night Football as they try to do it.
The Cowboys are a pesky team that usually bring a lot of fight to the field. They are currently 3-4 on the season. They lost a heart breaker to the New York Giants last week 29-24. Wide receiver Dez Bryant caught what appeared to be the game-winning touchdown but was ruled out-of-bounds as his finger tips touched the white line in the back of the end zone. Quarterback Tony Romo had a good game, throwing for a career-high 437 yards, but he also threw four interceptions.
The Cowboys could potentially be short-handed today. They already know that their top running back, DeMarco Murray will be out. The running back who replaced him, Felix Jones, was limited in practice with an ailing knee. Also, Bryant and fellow receiver Kevin Olgetree were limited in practice too with different injuries. This means the Cowboys will have to rely more on tight end Jason Witten for the second week in a row. In last week's game he caught a franchise-record 18 passes for 167 yards.
The Falcons had a good week last week, in a convincing 30-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. After spending their bye week working on fundamentals, the Falcons played more like a complete team in the win. The one headline that everyone will be focusing on, is if the Falcons can go to 8-0.
Here are two things they can do to help their cause. First, the Falcons need to keep using those fundamentals. In the three games before their bye week, they won by a combined twelve points and they all came down to the wire as the Falcons struggled throughout all the games. If they can play with those fundamentals in mind today, like they did last week, they can win.
Second, they need to contain Romo and Witten. Romo is known to choke in big games, so the Falcons' defense needs to make that happen today, with interceptions and sacks. Concerning Witten, they know he will be Romo's main target, especially if Bryant and Olgetree miss the game. The Falcons need to make sure he is covered at all times, otherwise he will break out with another big game, just like he did last week. Plus with star linebacker Sean Weatherspoon out, the Falcons will need more help from their back up linebackers in containing Witten.
The Falcons have the momentum in their favor. If Matt Ryan and the offense can come out and score quick, it will be a good day in Atlanta. Look for the Falcons to dominate Romo and the Cowboys and move to 8-0.
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