Cowboys vs. Falcons: Preview, score prediction for Week 10

Dallas Cowboys vs. Atlanta Falcons

The Dallas Cowboys head east to face the Atlanta Falcons in Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday afternoon at 4:25 p.m. ET. With NFC Playoff implications on the line, we will surely see each team place their best foot forward. That said, this important matchup will be one of the main attractions of Week 10.

More specifically, it’ll be interesting to see how the Falcons rebound from a crushing defeat at the hands of the Carolina Panthers in Week 9. While a loss for Dallas would surely sting, a loss for Atlanta could mean their playoff chances drop to an unrecoverable percentage.

That said, take a look at two takeaways for each team in Week 10.

Falcons Keys to Victory:

Shut Down Cowboys Running Game: With Ezekiel Elliott officially out for this game as his suspension begins, this may seem easy. However, Dallas has a litany of other backs, but it’s also about making sure Dak Prescott doesn’t run wild either. It was only one week ago when the Falcons nearly let Cam Newton rush for over 100 yards in their 20-17 loss to the Panthers.

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If Atlanta can’t fill the gaps and tackle better in Week 10, Dallas will cruise to their sixth win of the season. However, if they can keep the Cowboys running attack in check, it will give Matt Ryan a chance to keep the Dirty Bird’s 2017 NFC Playoff hopes alive.

Score Touchdowns in Red Zone: For whatever reason, the Falcons have not been able to punch the football in the end-zone when entering the red-zone in 2017. We heard a lot of speculation that Atlanta would try and feed Julio Jones in goal-line situations this year, and while they certainly have tried, only one has been successful.

With that said, Atlanta must score touchdowns in Week 10, rather than settling for short field-goals. They’re lucky to have a kicker of Matt Bryant’s caliber, but teams rarely succeed in opting for three points, especially when facing an offense as good as Dallas.

Cowboys Keys to Victory:

Keep Falcons Third Down Conversion Percentage Low: The good news for Cowboys fans is that their defense has been getting after the quarterback all season long. There was some questions about this defense early on in the year, but it seems as though those have finally been answered. That said, it’ll be that much more important for Dallas to get going on defense early and often against the Falcons.

No matter the year, the Dirty Birds are awfully dangerous playing at home. However, if the Cowboys can get Atlanta into some early three-and-outs, they could easily be up two scores by halftime. If that indeed happens, it’ll be tough for the Falcons to fight back.

Protect the Football: Heading into the weekend, I believe that Dallas is clearly the better football team than Atlanta. That might change over the next few weeks, but that’s the case as of Week 10. That said, the absolute worst thing the Cowboys can let happen on Sunday afternoon is giving the Falcons extra possessions.

This 2017 Atlanta defense isn’t one that has been great at forcing turnovers, which is a huge reason why they’re only (4-4). However, when they have forced opposing offenses into mistakes, it was the main difference in the game. Again, if Dallas keeps the football off the ground, they should be just fine.

Odds

Point Spread: Atlanta -3
Moneyline: Dallas -110, Atlanta -110
Over/Under: 50.5

Next: 20 Bold predictions for the NFL in Week 10

Prediction

Until I see Atlanta play a full football game in 2017 without having some type of major in-game meltdown, I cannot pick them to beat a good team. The Falcons are just making too many mental mistakes each weekend, which is costing them a chance at potentially playing in Super Bowl 52. Unless they come out and play perfect football on Sunday, I don’t foresee them beating Dallas, even in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Pick: Dallas Cowboys: 31, Atlanta Falcons: 18

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