Five things to watch in Sunday’s Dallas Cowboys home opener vs. the Atlanta Falcons
The Dallas Cowboys won’t release official attendance figures until after the game starts, but at an expected 25 percent capacity they will have the largest crowd in the NFL for Sunday’s home opener against the Atlanta Falcons at AT&T Stadium.
Many Cowboys players are not permitting their families to attend the game because of COVID-19 concerns, but they are excited to play in front of fans and seek their first win of the season after experiencing the quiet and empty SoFi Stadium in the 20-17 season opening loss at the Los Angeles Rams.
“It’s going to be a big difference, big difference,” quarterback Dak Prescott said. “Yeah, I mean there were no fans. You could hear pretty much the call from the sideline on the field. Yeah, it was very different. I mean we kind of made jokes trying to compare it to high school games, excuse me, high school freshman games or maybe like JV games, the last game was. Now we’re going to have a number of fans in the stadium. I imagine it will be a big difference.”
It better make a difference for the Cowboys, who are trying to avoid their first 0-2 start since 2010, when they finished 6-10.
Here are five things to watch for Sunday’s game against the Falcons:
Taking a knee at AT&T Stadium
Nose tackle Dontari Poe became the first ever Cowboys player to take a knee during the national anthem in support of social justice before the season opener at the Los Angeles Rams.
It’s one thing to do it on the road in an empty stadium. It’s another to do it at home at AT&T Stadium before an expected crowd of 20,000.
How will Cowboys fans react? Will there be boos?
Owner Jerry Jones said he liked the way Poe and the team handled the anthem against the Rams. Will he approve of the fan reaction on Sunday?
The tackle conundrum and protecting Dak Prescott
Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith is a game-time decision after suffering a neck injury in practice on Thursday.
The Cowboys are already without starting right tackle La’el Collins for the first three games.
Undrafted rookie Terence Steele started at right tackle in the season opener against the Los Angeles Rams and was marginal at best.
If Smith is unable to play, the options at tackle include Brandon Knight, who started one game at right tackle last year, and Alex Light, who was signed off the Arizona Cardinals practice squad Tuesday. And Eric Smith was promoted from the club’s practice squad to the active roster on Saturday.
Starting guards Zack Martin and Connor Williams are also options at tackle.
The last time Smith missed a start against the Falcons, quarterback Dak Prescott was sacked eight times in a 27-7 blowout loss in 2017.
Feed Zeke Elliott like his tattoo says
One way to help a marginal offensive line protect against the pass and keep quarterback Dak Prescott out of harm’s way is with a strong running back.
Control the ball and the clock with running back Ezekiel Elliott on the ground. It’s far easier to run block than pass block.
And Elliott is more than ready to handle the load. He unveiled a “Feed Me” tattoo on his stomach after scoring a touchdown in the season opener. Elliott had 25 touches for 127 yards and two touchdowns against the Rams.
As arguably the best pass blocker at his position in the NFL, Elliott will do whatever it takes to protect Prescott. The best way to do it Sunday may be with him carrying the load on the ground.
DeMarcus Lawrence and the pass rush need to show up
This missive goes out to everyone on the Cowboys defensive line not named Aldon Smith, who did his job in the season opener with a team-high 11 tackles and a sack. The pass rush was supposed to be the strength of the defense.
Yet, Pro Bowlers DeMarcus Lawrence and Everson Griffen combined for just four tackles, no sacks and no quarterback hits against the Rams.
For the Cowboys to have any chance of slowing down the Falcons, they need to get to quarterback Matt Ryan.
Lawrence, specifically, needs to show up and make game-changing plays. He has just five sacks since signing a five-year, $105 million contract extension, the largest deal in club history, before the 2019 season.
That’s five sacks in the last 17 games combined.
Will the secondary hold up against Julio Jones and Co.?
Rookie cornerback Travon Diggs held up okay in his first game against the Rams. But the task will be considerably harder against the Falcons, led by perennial Pro Bowler Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley.
Jones had nine catches for 157 yards against the Seahawks last week. Ridley had nine for 130 and two touchdowns, and third receiver Russel Gage had nine for 114. Diggs and the Cowboys secondary will be attacked early and often on Sunday.
The Cowboys will have all hands on deck. Nickel cornerback Jourdan Lewis is ready to go after missing the opener with an ankle injury, and he will be needed after Anthony Brown (ribs) went on the reserve/injured list on Saturday. Veteran reserve safety Brandon Carr should play after sitting out against the Rams for precautionary reasons.
