Dallas Cowboys: 3 Keys to beating the Atlanta Falcons

Key No. 3: Play 2-man until you can’t

Big plays killed the Cowboys last week and from time to time it has been a problem early in the season. The Falcons have been better at generating big plays as the season’s progressed but Matt Ryan is only averaging 7.2 yards per attempt and 10 yards per reception. Those numbers aren’t great, but it doesn’t show that over the last three weeks, Ryan has averaged over 8.5 yards per attempt. The offense is finally starting to find their groove deep.

The best way to minimize this is by running 2-man. (You’ve probably heard it called Cover 2 man, either term is interchangeable) With Kyle Pitts, Cordarelle Patterson, Hayden Hurst, Russell Gage, and Olamide Zaccheaus, the Falcons provide Matt Ryan with plenty of options. If we are staying true to not blitzing at a high rate, that should provide the team with plenty of people who can cover these wideouts.

A common formation the Cowboys might run on Sunday is Big Dime. (6 Defensive Backs but the two subpackage defenders are safeties instead of cornerbacks) With heavier personnel that can attack vertically, safeties are more equipped to handle coverage responsibilities than linebackers even if Micah Parsons is currently playing at a high level. When Atlanta wants to run the ball, the Cowboys would have the ability to fill the alley without worrying about their cornerbacks being weak tacklers.

In all, from a formation that likely has four safeties on the field, the Cowboys run Cover 2-Man in order to protect the deep halves of the fields while forcing Ryan to throw into tighter windows as a result of defenders successfully mirroring their receivers through their routes.

The Cowboys have run a lot of man coverage this year and have been successful at it because they are successful at jamming at the line of scrimmage and have the mental ability to bait and transition through their pattern. Against a quarterback like Ryan who will eat up bad zone coverage, playing man and forcing him to buy time with his legs should make it easier for the faster Dallas linebackers to make plays on Ryan when he breaks contain.

In addition, Ryan’s ability to manipulate defenders with his eyes makes playing zone coverage more difficult as he can create throwing windows when they initially don’t exist.

In all, the Atlanta Falcons don’t have a better team than the Broncos, but they do have a better player at the most important position in football. With an aggressive defensive coordinator in Dean Pees and a smart offensive mind in Arthur Smith, the “lowly” Falcons might not look so out of place on Sunday. Will the Cowboys rise to the occasion or lay another goose leg like last week?