The Falcons Will Force At Least 3 Turnovers
Despite having one of the worst defenses in the NFL last season, the Falcons actually fared pretty well in the turnover battle. They finished 11th overall in the turnover battle with +5 turnover margin. They have only forced three turnovers in the first two games of the year, but come Sunday that number will double. The Cowboys will be coming into the game limping with no Tony Romo, Dez Bryant and possibly Jason Witten. Brandon Weeden will get the start and has more interceptions (28) than touchdowns (27) in his career. Weeden was perfect in relief for Tony Romo last Sunday going 7 for 7 for 73 yards and a touchdown. However, with his lack of weapons, the Atlanta defense should be able to force him to make some early mistakes and possibly break this game open.
Vic Beasley Will Record At Least 2 Sacks
After a lackluster performance in week 1 for the Falcons first-round draft pick, Beasley led the defense in week 2 versus the Giants. Beasley was constantly applying pressure on Eli Manning and got to him once for his first career sack. On that same play, Beasley also forced a fumble but it was recovered by the Giants. Beasley rated out at and unbelievable (+4.8) on Pro Football Focus against New York and looked to be everything the Falcons expected when they drafted the man out of Clemson. If he keeps having performances like this, his sack total will rise in a hurry. The Cowboys feature one of the best offensive lines in the league, but with an inexperienced quarterback under center, Beasley should have plenty of opportunities to sack the quarterback. Look for him to cash in on those opportunities and increase his sack total to three against the Cowboys.
The Falcons Will Improve to 3-0 in Jerry WorldÂ
The Falcons have been able come up big in consecutive 4th quarters to claw their way to a 2-0 record. They head to Dallas in a week 3 match up of 2-0 teams. Normally, this would be an tough task to go on the road and beat a talented Cowboys squad, but with no Romo or Bryant the Falcons should be able pull out the victory. There are no easy wins in the NFL, especially on the road, but the Atlanta defense is going to force Weeden to earn every yard. Weeden will comply with his share of mistakes, and Matt Ryan and Julio Jones will be able to move the offense enough against a tough Cowboys defense to move to 3-0.
Photographer: Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire