Falcons vs. Cowboys Betting Odds – Week 3 NFL
Carrie Stroup here with your Falcons vs. Cowboys betting odds for Week 3 of the NFL. Sportsbook.ag Line: Atlanta -1.5, Total: 45
ATLANTA FALCONS (2-0) at DALLAS COWBOYS (2-0)
Two unbeaten teams collide in Big D on Sunday afternoon when the Falcons visit the injury-riddled Cowboys.
Both clubs sit atop their divisions at 2-0, and have even beaten the same two opponents, but that’s where the similarities stop. This was supposed to be a showdown between two of the best receivers in the game catching passes from two of the most accurate and clutch quarterbacks in the league. But now Atlanta QB Matt Ryan and WR Julio Jones will be squaring off against the 2011 Big 12 all-conference team instead of QB Tony Romo (collarbone) and WR Dez Bryant (foot), who are both out indefinitely. The Falcons won’t be losing any sleep feeling bad for Dallas, having lost Jones and fellow WR Roddy White for substantial time in recent years.
Atlanta also lost a key offensive cog this weekend when rookie RB Tevin Coleman went down with a fractured rib against the Giants. Look for second-year RB Devonta Freeman to shoulder the workload in this one, assuming the doubtful Coleman can't go on Sunday. The absence of Coleman will loom large for the Falcons, as it should allow the Cowboys to drop an extra man into coverage to possibly bracket Jones outside.
It will fall on head coach Jason Garrett and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli to come up with a winning game plan for backup QB Brandon Weeden to execute. In the last three seasons, Dallas is 10-1 ATS when they gain 8+ yards per pass attempt, and under Weeden last week, they averaged over 10 yards per passing play. In Garrett’s tenure, however, Dallas is 3-11 ATS at home off of a division game and just 10-20 ATS at home against the NFC. But the rest of the Falcons' potent offense could spell trouble for a Cowboys defense that is still without suspended starters DE Greg Hardy and LB Rolando McClain, and lost rookie DE Randy Gregory for at least a month with an ankle issue. Starting S Barry Church (concussion) is also questionable for Sunday.
New Falcons head coach Dan Quinn has had an immediate impact on the defensive side of the ball despite ranking 27th in total defense and 29th against the pass. Atlanta has done a much better job through two weeks of keeping the opposition out of the end zone, ranking 13th in scoring defense and top-10 in passing touchdowns allowed and interceptions.
As for the Falcons’ offense, Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are off to a flying start in 2015. Ryan leads the NFC in passing yardage and nearly half of that has gone to Jones, who is also leading the NFC in receptions and yards. Ryan has to feel good about this one despite being 1-1 against Dallas in his career. The loss came in Ryan’s second NFL season of 2009 and the win in 2012 didn’t even require a touchdown from him. He has a deep group of pass catchers and would love to turn this game into a shootout with the less-equipped Weeden. Ryan is 14-6 SU as a road favorite in his career, while Weeden possesses a 5-16 career mark as a starter, mostly in Cleveland, but this will be his first start since losing to Arizona 28-17 last year in Dallas.
Weeden’s last win as a starter came in December of 2012 versus Kansas City, he’s since dropped eight consecutive games where his name was called in pregame warm-ups. The 32-year-old quite possibly had the best quarter of his career filling in for Romo in the fourth quarter last week. Weeden led the Cowboys offense on four drives against Philadelphia, and while the numbers aren’t staggering, Weeden himself played well enough to give Dallas fans a decent level of confidence moving forward. Under his direction, the Weeden-led Cowboys amassed 99 yards on 20 plays (not including final drive taking knees), scored on a 42-yard bomb to WR Terrance Williams, and likely would’ve gotten a field goal had TE Gavin Escobar not fumbled on third down in Eagles territory. Weeden finished 7-of-7 for 73 yards and that TD, he even had the same distance on his longest scramble as former teammate DeMarco Murray, nine whole yards!
The Dallas defense is going to be the key in Romo’s absence, after it absolutely shut down Chip Kelly’s offense. The Cowboys rank sixth in the NFL in scoring and third in total defense. If Atlanta can win the turnover battle, the game is there for the taking, as in the past three years the Falcons are 4-1 ATS when tied or winning the turnover battle. Dallas has already committed five turnovers this season and that was with Romo under center for 75% of the snaps. Dallas has surrendered just 409 yards through the air thus far, but neither of its first two opponents had Julio Jones out wide to contend with.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
