The Cowboys are looking for more efficient passing from Prescott when they visit the NFC South-leading Falcons

Dallas (3-4) at Atlanta (5-3)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox

BetMGM NFL odds: Falcons at 2 1/2

Series record: Cowboys lead 19-11.

Against the spread: Cowboys 2-5, Falcons 4-4.

Last meeting: Cowboys beat Falcons 43-3 on November 14, 2021 in Dallas.

Last week: Cowboys lost at 49ers, 30-24; The Falcons defeated the Buccaneers 31-26.

Cowboys offense: Total (15), Rush (32), Passing (7), Scoring (22).

Cowboys Defense: Total (26), Rush (31), Pass (20), Points (26).

Falcons offense: Total (7), Rush (15), Pass (5), Points (12).

Falcons Defense: Total (19), Rush (21), Pass (18), Points (19).

Difference in turnover: Cowboys minus 8, Falcons even.

Cowboys player to watch

QB Dak Prescott threw multiple interceptions in three straight games for the first time in his career. The two picks in each of those games give him eight, and he had as many interceptions as touchdown passes this season before throwing two scoring throws to CeeDee Lamb in the fourth quarter of the loss to the 49ers. The flurry of interceptions coincided with Dallas having difficulty taking the ball away. The Cowboys have forced just two turnovers in their last five games and are tied for 28th in the NFL with five turnovers this season.

Falcons player to watch

Safety Jessie Bates III continues to make big plays in crucial situations to lead the Atlanta defense. Bates had his second interception of the season in last week’s win over Tampa Bay and also had a forced fumble and fumble recovery. Bates has three forced fumbles this season.

Key match

Dallas WR Lamb vs. Atlanta CB AJ Terrell Jr. Lamb is Prescott’s favorite option with a total of 45 receptions for 613 yards and four touchdowns. Lamb’s 72 goals are 30 more than tight end Jake Ferguson’s total of 42 goals. Terrell is joined by cornerbacks Mike Hughes, Clark Phillips III and Dee Alford. Terrell, who signed a Contract extension for four years for a reported $81 million before the season, is tied with Bates for the team lead with two interceptions.

Major injuries

The health of star pass rusher Micah Parsons is the biggest question for the Cowboys this week. He missed three games with a high ankle sprain and Dallas has struggled to put pressure on the quarterback without the two-time All-Pro. At the start of the week, Parsons still wasn’t practicing. … The Cowboys await the season debut of CB DaRon Bland, who underwent surgery for a stress fracture in his foot late in the preseason. Bland set an NFL record with five interception returns for touchdowns last season. … Rookie CB Caelen Carson, Bland’s replacement to start the season, has missed the last four games with a shoulder injury. … Atlanta RG Chris Lindstrom (knee) did not practice earlier in the week after leaving last week’s game. … LB Troy Andersen (knee) and S Justin Simmons (hamstring) could return after missing last week. …Rookie DE Ruke Orhorhoro (ankle) could miss the game.

Notes on the series

A fourth straight win for Dallas would be the longest in the series since the Cowboys won the first five meetings from 1966 to 1974. The Cowboys’ streak of three straight wins includes two games in Dallas. The Falcons’ last win came on November 12, 2017, when they defeated the Cowboys 27-7 in Atlanta.

Statistics and stuff

Opposing quarterbacks rank third and fourth in the NFL among qualifiers in terms of yards passing per game. Prescott is 263.6 to 263.3 for Kirk Cousins. … The loss to San Francisco was the 300th game of Dallas coach Mike McCarthy’s career, including the postseason. He is the 17th coach to reach this number. His record is 181-117-2. … Prescott’s rushing numbers have declined significantly in his ninth season, but he has scored at least one rushing touchdown in all four of his previous meetings with Atlanta. His only game with multiple touchdowns on the ground was a 40-39 win over the Falcons in 2020, when he had three. … RB Ezekiel Elliott’s rushing touchdown against the Niners was his 70th with the Cowboys. He needs two to tie Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett for second place on the club’s career list. … Lamb has 11 games with at least 10 catches, tied with retired TE Jason Witten for the most in club history. The All-Pro had his first 100-yard game of the season against the Niners, rushing for 146 yards and two touchdowns on a career-high 13 grabs. … Opposing QBs had an average of 2.81 seconds to throw against Dallas before Parsons’ injury. That number is up to 2.97 seconds since Parsons was injured. … Cousins ​​completed 23 of 29 passes for 276 yards and four touchdowns last week. His passer rating of 145.9 was the highest since his 150.7 rating with Washington on September 24, 2017.

Fantasy tip

Falcons RB Bijan Robinson has surpassed 100 scrimmage yards in three straight games and scored four touchdowns in that span. The Cowboys’ defense ranks 31st against the run, so Robinson would be a strong player even if he doesn’t enjoy his most productive run of games of the season.

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