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First-year head coach Dan Quinn has brought the aggressive, hard-hitting style of defense that he coordinated while with the Seattle Seahawks. Meanwhile, new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan brings a style of offense that has been successful with multiple franchises and has one of the premier weapons in the NFL in wide receiver Julio Jones.
Let’s take a look at some things that could show up in the Dallas game plan as they take on the Falcons this week.
Offensive Game Plan
The plan on offense for the Cowboys has to begin with setting Brandon Weeden up for success. Of course, the simplest way to help a quarterback is to run the ball, and the Cowboys will enter this game intent on doing so.
La’el Collins is set to get his first NFL start in place of a recovering Ronald Leary, after splitting snaps last week with Mackenzie Bernadeau, who struggled. With Collins and left tackle Tyron Smith, the Cowboys have two powerful and athletic run-blockers on the left side who should give this Falcons front problems in the run game.
I have often said that the longer Brandon Weeden holds the ball in the pass game, the more I worry about the potential result of the play. When Weeden is at his best, he takes his drop, and the ball comes out on time as soon as his back foot hits the ground. With Dez Bryant out with his foot injury, it could be difficult for the Dallas wide receivers to get open quickly against Desmond Trufant and the rest of this Atlanta secondary.
The way that offensive coordinator Scott Linehan can help his quarterback and get the ball moving down the field in the pass game is to continue to involve Lance Dunbar in the passing game. So far in 2015, the Falcons have faced Darren Sproles and Shane Vereen, two backs in the same mold as Dunbar. These backs each caught at least seven passes for 76 yards and should provide a template for Linehan and Weeden.
This play from the Falcons' matchup with the Eagles in Week 1 helped set up Darren Sproles out of the backfield for a decent gain and a first down. The Eagles used the seam route by the tight end to force the linebacker covering Sproles to alter his path, leaving Sproles in space with a chance to make a man miss for a decent gain.
Below is an example of the amount of space left available for Giants running back Shane Vereen in Week 2. In this image, he’s just made the catch, and as he turns up field, there are no Falcons defenders within 10 yards of him.
This next example resulted in a 37-yard gain for Vereen after he wound up in the middle of the field, one-on-one with Falcons linebacker Paul Worrilow on a short pass from Eli Manning.
The best cover linebacker on the Falcons defense is former Cowboy Justin Durant, who has been slowed by a foot injury. If Linehan can scheme ways to get Dunbar in space similar to these examples from the first two weeks, there will be big plays available.
Defensive Game Plan
Defensively for Dallas, it all starts with minimizing the impact that Julio Jones has on the game. Through the first two games of the year, Jones has been outright dominant, catching 22 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns.
The last three times the Cowboys have faced an elite wide receiver, going back to the 2014 playoffs, they’ve managed the following results:
Player Team Date Catches Yards Touchdowns
Calvin Johnson Lions 1/4/2014 8 85 0
Jordy Nelson Packers 1/11/2014 2 22 0
Odell Beckham Jr. Giants 9/13/2015 5 44 0
These stellar results were accomplished by giving each receiver multiple looks in both man and zone coverage, using safeties to help the corners in the deep parts of the field and using linebackers to help underneath.
If they can hold Jones to numbers that match even the best of these three stat lines, the Cowboys will have a very good chance of slowing the Falcons offense and giving the themselves a shot to win the game.
Prediction
The Cowboys will be able to force a takeaway from the Falcons, and the defense will help put points on the board. Brandon Weeden will get a big play or two from Lance Dunbar in the passing game, and the defense will make a stand late in the game to seal a win.
Cowboys 17, Falcons 13
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