Cowboys-Falcons: Playing Dallas at Home after a Bye Week Isn't Much Fun

On Sunday, the Falcons left Dallas hammered and beaten. To be precise, it was a 37-21 beating. Not a stellar day for any Falcons faithful expecting to see the franchise continue its path to back-to-back winning seasons.

"We did some very uncharacteristic things on Sunday," said coach Mike Smith. "In most games if you turn the ball over three times, have your quarterback get sacked four times, give them two explosive touchdowns and have a punt returned..."

"You're not going to get positive results."

Yeah, I believe that to be accurate. We witnessed it Sunday and it wasn't a pretty sight.

So what went wrong? What happened? When the game started, the Falcons marched downfield and scored with little effort. Roddy White caught an 11-yard pass from Ryan and the Birds were up 7-0 on their first drive.

What happened to the Falcons after that? In all honesty, they just got physically beaten up.

With five minutes left in the first quarter, Matt Ryan faced a second and 25 thanks to a chop block by center Todd McClure. He was sacked twice after that and the Falcons were forced to punt.

It seemed like from that point on, the Falcons offense went conservative. What happened to the no-huddle?

Starting the second quarter, the Cowboys got on the board with a field goal. That began a turnover battle for the rest of the quarter.

Ryan tossed a pick to Mike Jenkins and two plays later Felix Jones coughed the ball up to Brent Grimes. It was like a chess match to see which defense would control this game.

It became obvious by the fourth quarter who would hold those bragging rights.

Going into the second quarter the "little engine that could" defense had a letdown. The offense wasn't moving the ball at all. They stayed on the field and tried to contain a Cowboys offense that opened their playbook for Sunday.

The extra week off did wonders for the Cowboys. They had a game plan and enforced it. Play more physical than your opponent. They also took advantage of the Falcons depleted secondary.

After Matt Ryan fumbled the ball to Dallas, Tony Romo found his new stud WR Miles Austin on a slant that went for 59 yards and a touchdown.

“You’re not going to get a lot of sacks against this team," said defensive end DeMarcus Ware. "But the main thing is that we had to rattle (Ryan) in the pocket and be in his face and I think that we did that today. We rattled him and got two interceptions back there, so it’s not all about the sacks; it’s getting in his face to get pressure."

That sack of Ryan by DeMarcus Ware changed the entire complexion of the game. If you seek a turning point in the game, look no further. The Cowboys only sacked Ryan one more time the rest of the game, but he "felt" them coming.

That play gave Dallas enough momentum to take over the game. Tony Romo evaded a sure sack by Jonathan Babineaux and tossed a touchdown right at half-time. The wind was taken out of the Falcons' sails.

“I think pressure affects the passing game, " said Ryan. "Regardless of who is out there playing. I thought Dallas did a good job of getting some pressure in different situations. Even with them bringing the pressure, I thought we still hung tough back there. We distributed the ball a couple of times with some pressure on. They’ve got some great players up front. They are a tough matchup.”

So the second half was completely one-sided in favor of Dallas? Well, not exactly...

On the opening possession, the Falcons sacked Romo and forced them to punt. On the following drive, running backs Michael Turner and Jason Snelling combined for 64 yards rushing and a two-yard score by Turner. The Falcons were back in it, down 17-14 with a quarter and a half remaining.

The Falcons found life, and their offense. This game wasn't over!

Well, it was if Romo and Austin had anything to say about it. They connected on 54 yards and a 22-yard touchdown in a matter of three minutes.

Down 27-14, the Falcons faced a fourth and two on their 28-yard line. The way the Falcons defense had been playing, one would consider going for that. Smith elected to punt.

That folks, officially ended the game.

Shunned receiver Patrick Crayton ran the punt back 73 yards and put the final nail in the Falcons' coffin. Three scores ahead and a defense that is playing stronger now than they had the previous three quarters, the fat lady was singing.

The Falcons tacked on a touchdown pass to Eric Weems but it was too little too late. The damage was done and the game a disappointment.

Did Anyone Look Good?

Jamaal Anderson

Actually, yes. I can't believe I'm saying this but Jamaal Anderson looks like a defensive tackle. The coaching staff may have struck gold with this move. He pressured Romo all day, failing to record an actual sack.

Like Ware said, pressure is more important than sacks in the grand scheme of things. He and Babineaux could form a pretty strong middle for the Falcons.

Jason Snelling

You also cannot deny the impact running back Jason Snelling had when he was let loose. He and Turner single-handedly drove down-field and scored in the second half on Sunday.

The coaches need to get the ball in his hands more often. He has fresh legs and appears to charge the holes much faster than Turner has this season.

The Brooking Award Goes To...

Well, Brooking. For those unaware, a long-time Falcons message board poster created awards for players that just sucked. The Brooking Awards were born and this week Atlanta's very own wins his own award.

"The last thing I was told by one of the Atlanta coaches was, ‘It’s a young man’s game,’’’ said Brooking, the Falcons' long-time defensive leader-turned-Dallas Cowboys linebacker, with a lopsided grin. "I guess that old man can still play.’’

He managed two tackles and talked trash the entire game. For a player that was paid very very well for results he produced, you would think he would kiss owner Arthur Blank's cheeks and beg for his number to be retired.

He was very classless. He never struck me as that kind of guy. He was always a go-team-go kinda guy. He had zero impact on the game's outcome Sunday.

"I did enjoy that fourth quarter. I didn’t hold anything back...I’m an emotional player and I was having fun. I will celebrate tonight.’’

I wonder if he will bring his pom poms. Arthur York of Bleacher Report wrote a great article about him. You should check it out.

Houston, We Have a Problem

If cornerbacks Tye Hill and Christopher Owens can't get on the field soon, how bad are they? We have watched "Burnt" Grimes and "Chrisp" Houston get torched for weeks now. When Brian Williams stepped in, the secondary looked decent. Not a strength, but not something to write-off yet.

Losing Williams opened Pandora's Box and the Falcons need to do something quick. They play Drew Brees on Monday night in New Orleans. Brees will target Houston and get lift-off all day long.

Injuries Are Mounting

This season, like every "prior year's winning season" the injuries have begun stacking up. The Falcons have lost both their first and second rounds picks (Peria Jerry, William Moore) for the season.

Their best cornerback Brian Williams is done. Their spark-plug slot receiver Harry Douglas is out for the season. Third down back Jerious Norwood is battling a concussion and hamstring issues keeping him out of games. Pro-Bowl fullback Ovie Mughelli will be gone for a while which limits a lot in the running game.

They are aren't excuses, they are facts. Atlanta needs to finish the rest of the season healthy.

What Did I Take from This Game?

Well, I learned that playing Dallas at home after a bye week isn't much fun. I learned the offense cannot produce without the running game working. I learned Jamaal Anderson may become an NFL player. I learned Ovie Mughelli makes the wheels on the bus go round and round. Get well soon, big guy.

But most of all, I learned that playing "what the defense gives you" is a bad ideal. Force the defense to defend you and stop worrying about what they give. When you run the ball against nine man fronts, you're allowing the defense to dictate you.