DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys saw their six-game winning streak come to a demonstrative end in a 30-16 beatdown to the Denver Broncos in Week 9. Now, with a chance to right the ship, the Cowboys will welcome the Atlanta Falcons to Arlington.
The Falcons are in third place in the NFC South with a record of 4-4 but they have been surging since starting the season 0-2 with wins in three of their last four games. In their last outing, Atlanta was able to defeat the division rival Saints 27-25 in New Orleans.
The Falcons are 3-1 on the road in 2021 which presents some danger for Dallas as Sunday’s matchup will be played at AT&T Stadium.
With that in mind, here are 100 facts and stats as the Cowboys get back in the saddle against Atlanta:
SERIES FACTS (14)
The Cowboys are 6-2 for the 13th time in team history. 11 of those previous 12 teams made the playoffs:
- Failed to quality: 1986
- Lost wildcard: 2003
- Lost divisional: 1985, 2009, 2014
- Lost conference: 1972, 1980, 1981, 1982
- Lost league title game/Super Bowl: 1967
- Won league title/Super Bowl: 1993
- Since 1990, 91.6% (87 of 95) of teams that started 7-2 made the playoffs with 65 of those teams having won the division.
- Since 1990, 72.7% (109 of 150) teams that started 6-3 made the playoffs with 61 of them having won the division.
- This is the 10th time in franchise history that the Falcons are 4-4. 3 of those previous 9 teams made the playoffs with none of them having won the division.
- Since 1990, when playoff formats were last realigned, 79 of 169 teams that started 5-4 made the playoffs.
- Since 1990, 28 of 172 teams that started 4-5 made the playoffs with 12 of them having won the division.
- The Cowboys are 10-4 against the Falcons at home, including the playoffs. Here is the breakdown by venue:
- Cotton Bowl: 2-0
- Texas Stadium: 6-3
- AT&T Stadium: 2-1
- Dallas is 2-5 against the Falcons in November with all of those games previously played on the road.
- This is the 16th early afternoon game in the series and the ninth one from Dallas.
- The Cowboys are 18-11 against the Falcons all-time. Here is how they compare to the rest of the NFC South:
- Buccaneers: .750 (15-5)
- Panthers: .667 (10-5)
- Falcons: .621 (18-11)
- Saints: .567 (17-13)
- Since 1970, the Cowboys are 155-115 in early afternoon games with a 74-41 record at home.
- Since 1970, the Falcons are 253-280-3 in early afternoon games with an 88-129-2 record on the road.
- The Falcons are 54-89 in the Central Time Zone with a 5-16 record in Texas.
- The Falcons are 1 of 3 teams that the Cowboys have beaten multiple times in the postseason without reprisals. The other two are the Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
DAK PRESCOTT FACTS (16)
- Prescott is 2-1 against the Falcons. Here is how other Cowboys quarterbacks have fared against Atlanta (in chronological order):
- Don Meredith: 2-0
- Craig Morton: 2-0
- Roger Staubach: 3-0
- Danny White: 2-1
- Steve Pelluer: 1-1
- Troy Aikman: 4-1
- Babe Laufenberg: 0-1
- Steve Beuerlein: 0-1
- Bernie Kosar: 0-1
- Ryan Leaf: 0-1
- Quincy Carter: 0-1
- Tony Romo: 2-1
- Brandon Weeden: 0-1
- Prescott is tied with Justin Herbert for the fifth-most touchdown passes with 18.
- Prescott’s 8.0 yards per pass attempt is the eighth-most in the NFL.
- Prescott’s 11.6 yards per completion is tied with Carson Wentz for the 10th-highest in the league.
- Prescott’s 292.1 passing yards per game are the fifth-highest in the league.
- Prescott’s 108.7 passer rating is the third-highest in the NFL.
- Prescott has been blitzed 98 times, the third-most in the NFL.
- Prescott gets sacked on 4.1% of his dropbacks, the fifth-fewest in the NFL.
- Prescott gets pressured on 18.1% of his dropbacks, the third-fewest in the NFL.
- Prescott is tied for the ninth-most pocket time in the NFL at 2.3.
- Prescott is tied with Jimmy Garoppolo and Josh Allen for the ninth-highest completed air yards per pass attempt at 4.3.
- Among quarterbacks who have started at least seven games, Prescott has the eighth-highest passer rating on third down at 104.0.
- Among quarterbacks who have started at least seven games, Prescott has the sixth-highest yards per pass attempt on third down at 9.0.
- Prescott has thrown for 106 first downs, the ninth-most in the league.
- Among quarterbacks with at least seven starts, Prescott is tied with Week 10 opponent Matt Ryan for the third-highest completion percentage at 69.4%.
- Until the Week 2 win over the Falcons in 2020, Prescott had not executed a fourth quarter comeback or a game-winning drive since Week 17 of 2018 at the New York Giants.
MATT RYAN FACTS (15)
- Ryan has a 3-3 record against the Cowboys. Here is how that compares to the other Falcons quarterbacks (chronological order):
- Randy Johnson: 0-3
- Bob Berry: 0-1
- Bob Lee: 0-1
- Scott Hunter: 1-0
- Steve Bartkowski: 1-0
- David Archer: 0-1
- Chris Miller: 1-2
- Hugh Millen: 1-0
- Wade Wilson: 0-1
- Bobby Hebert: 1-1
- Jeff George: 0-1
- Tony Graziani: 0-1
- Michael Vick: 1-1
- Doug Johnson: 1-0
- Ryan is tied with Justin Herbert for the fifth-most red zone touchdown passes with 13.
- Ryan has thrown for 109 first downs, tied for sixth-most in the NFL.
- Ryan is tied with Trevor Lawrence for the sixth-fewest yards per completion at 10.3.
- Ryan has been pressured 83 times, the eighth-most in the league.
- Ryan gets sacked on 4.4% of his dropbacks, the ninth-fewest in the NFL.
- Ryan has been blitzed 89 times, tied with Derek Carr for the seventh-most in the NFL.
- Ryan’s 7.0 intended air yards per pass attempt is the fourth-lowest in the league.
- Ryan benefits from 4.4 yards after the catch on average, the eighth-lowest in the NFL.
- Ryan has had five passes batted at the line of scrimmage, tied for fifth-most in the NFL.
- Ryan has generated 729 passing yards out of play-action, the fourth-most in the NFL.
- Ryan has passed 78 times out of play-action, the fifth-most in the league.
- Ryan has the fourth-highest passer rating on third down at 111.6.
- Ryan has converted the most third downs through the air in the league with 41.
- Ryan is 1 of 5 quarterbacks this season with at least three game-winning drives and three fourth quarter comebacks.
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT FACTS (11)
- Elliott has the fifth-most rushing yards in the NFL with 622.
- Elliott is tied for the seventh-most rushing touchdowns in the NFL with five.
- Elliott and James Conner are tied for the sixth-most first downs on the ground with 32.
- Among running backs, Elliott is tied for the eighth-highest yards per carry at 4.9.
- Elliott generates 77.8 rushing yards per game, the sixth-most in the NFL.
- Elliott is tied for the sixth-most third down conversions on the ground with 12.
- Elliott has gained 404 rushing yards on third down, the fourth-most in the NFL.
- Elliott has picked up 356 rushing yards before contact, the fifth-most in the league.
- Elliott has gained 266 rushing yards after contact, the sixth-most in the NFL.
- Elliott is 1 of 5 running backs with at least 100 carries and zero fumbles.
- In 2017, Elliott missed his first game due to a suspension on Nov. 12 at the Falcons, who rolled the Cowboys 27-7, sacking Dak Prescott eight times. In 2018, when the Falcons faced the Cowboys with Elliott, the All-Pro back gained 122 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries for a 22-19 Dallas win.
MIKE MCCARTHY FACTS (6)
- This is the 65th week that a McCarthy coached team has held undisputed first place in the division and his eighth with the Cowboys.
- November: 26-33-1 with a 13-13-1 record at home.
- McCarthy is 5-5 against the Falcons, including playoffs, with a 3-1 record at home.
- McCarthy’s 5-5 record against the Falcons is tied for his second-best against an NFC South opponent, including the playoffs:
- Panthers: .571 (4-3)
- Buccaneers: .500 (3-3)
- Falcons: .500 (5-5)
- Saints: .333 (2-4)
- McCarthy is 24-11 against rookie coaches with a 14-6 record at home.
- McCarthy is 48-43 against playoff-winning quarterbacks with a 28-13 record at home.
ARTHUR SMITH FACTS (5)
- If Smith leads Atlanta to victory, he will join Pat Peppler (interim), Jerry Glanville, and Dan Quinn as the only coaches to beat the Cowboys in their first meeting.
- Smith is 3-1 on the road compared to 1-3 at home.
- Smith is 1-2 against the NFC East with a 1-0 record on the road.
- Smith was a defensive quality control coach for Washington in 2007, Joe Gibbs’ last season in the NFL.
- Smith has yet to throw the challenge flag this season.
BROADCAST FACTS (8)
- This is the 10th game in the series to be broadcast on FOX. Here is a breakdown of games on other networks:
- CBS: 15
- FOX: 9
- ABC: 2
- NBC: 1
- NFL Network: 1
- This week’s broadcasting team is Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen, making them the 29th different team to call a game in the series.
- Dallas is 29-21 when Burkhardt calls their games, including Compass Media Network games.
- The Falcons are 10-17 when Burkhardt calls their games.
- The Cowboys are 1-1 with Olsen providing commentary for their games.
- The Falcons are 0-2 when Olsen provides commentary for their games.
- Dallas is 147-134 all-time on FOX, including the postseason.
- The Falcons are 175-177 on FOX, including the postseason and Super Bowls XXXIII and LI.
CRAIG WROLSTAD FACTS (13)
- This week’s referee is Craig Wrolstad. The Cowboys have a 7-2 record with Wrolstad as their official. Here are the results:
- 2014 – Cardinals, 17-28 – L
- 2015 – NYJ, 16-19 – L
- 2016 – CHI, 31-17 – W
- 2016 – WAS, 31-26 – W
- 2017 – @Cardinals, 28-17 – W
- 2017 – WAS, 38-14 – W
- 2018 – @ATL, 22-19 – W
- 2019 – WAS, 47-16 – W
- 2020 – NYG, 37-34 – W
- The Cowboys have had fewer penalty yards than the opposition 6 of 9 times with Wrolstad.
- 2014 – Cardinals: 6/62; DAL: 5/33
- 2015 – NYJ: 8/61; DAL: 6/54
- 2016 – CHI: 6/45; DAL: 4/45
- 2016 – WAS: 3/30; DAL: 3/25
- 2017 – Cardinals: 6/50; DAL: 9/76
- 2017 – WAS: 7/43; DAL: 3/25
- 2018 – ATL: 2/15; DAL: 2/20
- 2019 – WAS: 2/10; DAL: 10/81
- 2020 – NYG: 8/81; DAL: 3/25
- Wrolstad’s games have the fourth-lowest (.286) home team winning percentage.
- Wrolstad is tied for the fifth-lowest percentage (.429) of home teams having fewer penalties.
- The Falcons have a 4-3 record with Wrolstad officiating their games:
- 2014 – TB, 56-14 – W
- 2015 – NO, 17-20 – L
- 2016 – @PHI, 15-24 – L
- 2017 – @NYJ, 25-20 – W
- 2018 – DAL, 19-22 – L
- 2019 – @SF, 29-22 – W
- 2020 – @MIN, 40-23 – W
- Atlanta has had fewer penalty yards than the opposition 4 of 7 times with Wrolstad:
- 2014 – TB: 11/110; ATL: 5/50
- 2015 – NO: 4/45; ATL: 4/32
- 2016 – PHI: 10/77; ATL: 8/67
- 2017 – NYJ: 6/50; ATL: 6/68
- 2018 – DAL: 2/20; ATL: 2/15
- 2019 – SF: 7/67; ATL: 11/98
- 2020 – MIN: 3/30; ATL: 5/25
- Wrolstad’s games are tied for the third-highest (5.1) number of sacks in the NFL.
- Wrolstad’s crew is tied for the third-highest (3.3) offensive holding calls per game.
- Dallas is 0 for 2 when challenging Wrolstad while opponents are 2 for 2. Replay Assistant is 0 for 1 with none of those calls benefiting the Cowboys.
- The Falcons have never challenged Wrolstad though the opposition is 1 for 1. Replay Assistant has also not yet challenged Wrolstad in a game featuring Atlanta.
- Wrolstad has the sixth-lowest (.400, 2 for 5) coaches challenge overturn rate.
- Wrolstad is tied for the fourth-lowest (.500, 2 for 4) booth review overturn rate.
- Outside of the NFL, Wrolstad is a high school athletic director in Washington state.
MISCELLANEOUS FACTS (12)
- The Cowboys are tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the 10th-most missed tackles with 62.
- Cowboys are tied for the fifth-most takeaways in the league with 14.
- The Falcons are tied for the fourth-fewest takeaways with seven.
- The Falcons are tied with the Detroit Lions for the fewest pressures with 58.
- Atlanta has generated 11 sacks, the fewest in the league.
- Dallas has produced 18 sacks, the eighth-fewest in the NFL.
- Opposing quarterbacks have generated a 104.1 passer rating against Atlanta, the seventh-highest in the NFL.
- The Falcons defense has given up the fourth-fewest receiving yards to receivers with 1,173.
- The Falcons are tied with Washington for the sixth-most receiving touchdowns surrendered to receivers with 11.
- The Cowboys are 6-1 on Nov. 14:
- 1965 — PIT, 24-17 — W
- 1971 — PHI, 20-7 — W
- 1977 — CRD, 17-24 — L
- 1993 — CRD, 20-15 — W
- 1999 — GB, 27-23 — W
- 2005 — @PHI, 21-20 — W
- 2010 — @NYG, 33-20 — W
- The Falcons are 3-2 on Nov. 14:
- 1971 — NYG, 17-21 — L
- 1976 — SF, 21-16 — W
- 1983 — RAM, 13-36 — L
- 1993 — @RAM, 13-0 — W
- 2004 — TB, 24-14 — W
- The Cowboys have four birthdays to celebrate on Nov. 14:
- 1966 — Rod Harris, WR, 1990
- 1978 — Junior Siavii, DT, 2009
- 1981 — Ben Noll, G, 2004-05
- 1982 — Kyle Orton, QB, 2012-13
Do you think the Cowboys will take the 30th all-time meeting against the Falcons? Share your predictions and favorite facts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.
