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Dallas (6-2) tries to rev things back up and rebound from its
worst offensive outing of the season when it hosts the Atlanta
Falcons (4-4) on Sunday.
The Cowboys had Dak Prescott back at quarterback after a
one-game injury absence but never found a groove in last
weekend's 30-16 loss to the Denver Broncos. Dallas was shut out
for the first 55 minutes before finding the end zone twice, and
the Cowboys possessed the ball for just 18 minutes, 48 seconds.
"We want to dig every piece of this thing, because obviously
it's a copycat league," Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen
Moore said. "Everyone is going to copy that formula, so you'd
better have an answer for every single thing that came up in
that game. You're bound to see it in the coming weeks."
Dallas was held to 290 yards but still leads the NFL at 434.3
yards per game. The Cowboys rank third in scoring at 30.1 points
per outing.
Prescott completed at least 63.6 percent of his passes in each
of his first six appearances of the season. Against the Broncos,
though, he connected on just 48.7 percent (19 of 39) while
passing for 232 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.
Prescott is adamant that there won't be a carryover effect
against Atlanta.
"It doesn't take confidence away from us," he said. "It wasn't
about their confidence as much as it was just about our lack of
execution in critical situations."
Meanwhile, Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will face the
franchise he guided to the Super Bowl. He will oppose Atlanta
for the first time since he was fired as head coach five games
into the 2020 season.
Four seasons earlier, Quinn's Falcons owned a 25-point,
third-quarter lead in the Super Bowl before collapsing and
seeing Tom Brady lead the New England Patriots to a 34-28
overtime victory.
Quinn will be game-planning against quarterback Matt Ryan, the
franchise icon who helped him reach the Super Bowl.
Ryan, in his 14th NFL season, has passed for 2,157 yards, 15
touchdowns and six interceptions this season.
Ryan told reporters earlier this week that he has remained in
touch with Quinn since the latter's dismissal.
"I mean, listen, I love Dan," Ryan said of his Quinn. "He's an
awesome person. He's a great coach. I really enjoyed playing for
him, and so I wish him nothing but the best. But he knows what
this week is about for both of us. It's about trying to get a
win."
Ryan doesn't see matching up against Quinn as either an
advantage or a disadvantage.
"I think it comes down to making plays on the field on Sunday,"
Ryan said. "He's got knowledge of my skill set for sure. I know
some of the guys on their defense, too, and they know me and
those kinds of things."
Ryan passed for 343 yards and two touchdowns last week as the
Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints 27-25.
Atlanta defensive end Dante Fowler (knee) returned to practice
Wednesday, but it was unclear whether he would be activated off
injured reserve this week. Cornerback Kendall Sheffield
(hamstring) and tight end Lee Smith (back) missed practice.
As for Dallas, left tackle Tyron Smith (ankle) sat out practice
and looks unlikely to return this week. He missed the Denver
game.
--Field Level Media
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