Falcons-Cowboys preview: What Atlanta must do to kick Dallas while Cowboys are down

Two ships passing in the night is one way to put it. While my Atlanta Falcons are having the time of their lives under a new regime, the same thing cannot be said for my FanSided.com colleague and False Start co-host Cody Williams' beloved Dallas Cowboys. It was a sight to behold having my college football brethren coming on The Blogging Dirty Podcast this week to talk some NFL ball.

While the NFL teams we support happen to play in the same conference, they are two very different franchises, but ones that have more in common than you would think. Dallas is the No. 1 brand in the sport and draws the biggest TV number, no matter how good or bad they are or who they are playing. Atlanta has been the far more successful franchise in the last 25 to 30 years, to be totally honest...

With the three most notable crossovers between these two teams are Deion Sanders, Dan Quinn and Keith Brooking, I still think Cody had a good time talking ball with me, even though his Cowboys make him want to go hide under a rock. This is a game that 3-4 Dallas needs to find a way to win, whereas 5-3 Atlanta could really start to flex its muscles as a playoff team out of the Dirty South. It was a time!

Here are some of the biggest takeaways from the latest episode of The Blogging Dirty Podcast.

What are the vibes of Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys entering play?

When it comes to the Falcons, Dirty Bird Nation is starting to really fall in love with this team. The Falcons can still be frustrating at times, mostly because they are the Falcons. However, this team is no longer showing an innate ability to rip defeat away from the jaws of victory in the most heart-breaking fashion possible. In fact, they are playing quite well whenever the game feels on the line.

As far as the Cowboys are concerned, Cody is so out on this team. He usually says the Cowboys play well from September through December before falling to pieces in the playoffs in January. However, Dallas is clearly the third best team in the NFC East, firmly behind Washington and Philadelphia, in that order. Much of the fan base's growing frustration is directed at their owner in one Jerry Jones.

If I had to group these two teams together, it seems as though Atlanta is getting the blessing from ownership and Arthur Blank on down to do what is necessary to field a contending team, whereas the Cowboys' biggest star in The Lone Star State seems to be their octogenarian owner. Dallas is paying a lot of people a lot of money to not do all that very much. I can sense the frustration boiling over.

These two teams are not separated by all that many games, but the vibes could be any different.

Where do Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys need to look for a trade?

With the NFL trade deadline rapidly approaching on Tuesday, Nov. 5, Cody put it bluntly what these two teams need to do. For his Cowboys, it is all about upgrading the running back position. While Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn are still technically in their primes, Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott's best days are behind them. It is why I suggested targeting Travis Etienne from the Jacksonville Jaguars.

And even though the Cowboys could improve on defense, that could be coming with the return of Micah Parsons in the middle of it and Daron Bland in the back-end of it. That being said, it is so painfully obvious that the Falcons need to add another pass rusher. Matthew Judon has been a great pickup, but Cody believes Emmanuel Ogbah of the Miami Dolphins could be available for the Falcons.

Overall, just because the Cowboys and Falcons have needs to address at the trade deadline does not mean they will. We know how stubborn of an owner Jerry Jones can be. While Arthur Blank will surely allow for Terry Fontenot to make any deal that makes this team better, I just do not see the Dirty Birds making a trade to compromise their future while the present is still quite good. It must be the right fit.

Atlanta and Dallas did address their biggest issues over the offseason, but even that was not enough.

How can Dallas Cowboys take advantage of Atlanta Falcons in Week 9

The biggest thing I have seen where teams can take advantage of the Falcons defense is by moving the ball methodically down the field in the short-to-medium passing game. CeeDee Lamb could be a mismatch for the Falcons' secondary, but the Cowboys' receiving corps is not as versatile nor as complementary as what we saw out of the Seattle Seahawks a few weeks ago in the blowout loss.

Cody does not believe that Dallas has the necessary horses to do much of anything on the ground game. This has made starting quarterback Dak Prescott look much worse than what he has actually played like up to this point. Not to say that Dallas' only pathway to victory is by way of a shootout, but the Cowboys could get blown out if they come up empty on several crucial obvious passing downs.

To be fair, this is the pathway to beat the Atlanta defense more often than not. The secondary is of the bend, but don't break variety. They will force the occasional turnover, but getting after the quarterback will never be this team's cup of tea. Both offensive tackle spots can be exploited by the Atlanta pass rush, but the interior of the offensive line continues to be a great strength for this team.

Communication breakdowns in the defensive backfield like what happened vs. Seattle cannot occur.

What Atlanta Falcons need to do to get past Dallas Cowboys in Week 9

It is all about dictating pace and terms while on offense. Kirk Cousins needs to lean on the two-headed monster in the Falcons' backfield between Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. Dallas does not have a competent run defense, which is great for the Falcons across the board offenisvely. It means Cousins will have better passing lanes to throw to, as well as chances to use the play-action pass.

As far as what receivers to target, Cody believes tight end Kyle Pitts could have a field day. If his head is on straight, he could rack up another huge performance like he did vs. Tampa Bay last week. Drake London will probably get his, but I think there is a chance that Dallas will try to take away Darnell Mooney outside the numbers. This means London, Pitts and Ray-Ray McCloud III need to take over.

This game will all be about playing with confidence offensively. Expect for a ton of Cowboys fans to be in attendance at this game. It may be a sleepy 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff, but Atlanta has a chance to really solidify its playoff chances by getting to 6-3 overall and 6-1 over NFC opponents. Getting the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Cowboys could be huge if the Falcons fell back to wild card status.

With how bad Atlanta looked vs. Seattle, I think the Falcons will be more ready to play in this ballgame.