Cowboys battle Falcons, bad history in Week 9 matchup

When the Cowboys travel to Atlanta for their Week 9 showdown, they might want to leave some baggage behind.

Namely, they aren’t that good when they play the Falcons in Georgia – at least in the regular season.

Dallas is 2-0 in the postseason when they play in Georgia however. They beat the Falcons in the 1980 playoffs.

And they defeated the Bills to win their second straight title in Super Bowl XXVIII at the Georgia Dome at the end of the 1993 season.

But when it’s a regular season game against the Falcons? The Cowboys will arrive in Week 9 with a 7-7 record in Georgia.

Adding to their woes is a poor history on Week 9 games overall.

The Cowboys have lost their last three games played in the ninth week. And it is only one of two weeks they have an overall losing record in.

Not good omens to pack along for the trip east.

Against The Falcons

Overall against Atlanta Dallas is 19-11 — 17-11 in regular season games. They are 11-4 at home – 10-4 in the regular season however.

The two teams met for the first time after Atlanta joined the NFL in Atlanta in 1966.

Dallas spotted the Falcons a 7-0 lead in the first quarter before rolling to a 47-14 victory. Chuck Howley returned a fumble 97 yards for a score late in the game.

When the teams met again the next year at the Cotton Bowl, the Cowboys charged out to a 28-0 lead – with Lee Roy Jordan getting a 33-yard pick six – in a 37-7 rout.

Dallas would win the first five meetings and eight of the first nine overall.

The Falcons finally broke through in 1976 with a 17-10 win in Atlanta.

The Cowboys would go 2-0 against Atlanta at the Cotton Bowl, and 6-3 at Texas Stadium. Atlanta’s first win in Dallas came in back-to-back wins in 1986 and 1987.

Dallas is 3-1 against Atlanta at AT&T Stadium with the Falcons winning 39-28 in 2015.

Atlanta is 0-3 against Dallas the first time they play in the Cowboys’ home stadium. Dallas won 27-20 in Atlanta first visit to Texas Stadium in 1978.

They downed the Falcons 37-21 in 2009 in their first visit to AT&T.

Atlanta did win in its last visit to Texas Stadium though – a 27-13 victory in 2003 – after losing 13-0 in their last Cotton Bowl visit in 1970.

The Cowboys have won the last three meetings overall – including a 22-19 win in 2018 in their last trip to Atlanta.

Dallas is 2-0 against the Falcons in the postseason – both Divisional round games – with a 27-20 win in 1978 at Texas Stadium and a 30-27 win in 1980 at Atlanta.

Week 9 History

The Cowboys are 30-31 overall in Week 9 games. It is one of only two weeks they have an overall losing record in.

The other is Week 17’s 14-21 (.400) record.

The good news is this year’s Week 9 game is on the road because Dallas is 10-13 in Week 9 games at home.

The even better news is that they are 20-18 away from home. And they are in Atlanta for Week 9 in 2024.

The Cowboys have lost their last three Week 9 games overall – at home against the Steelers (2020) and the Broncos (2021) and a 2023 road loss at Philadelphia.

Dallas has lost its last three consecutive Week 9 home games as well, losing to the Titans in 2018.

The team’s last Week 9 win was against the Giants in New York in 2019. Their last home win in Week 9 dates all the way back to a 2017 win over the Chiefs.

The last time the Cowboys won consecutive Week 9 games goes all the way back to a 1992-1996 run.

They won all five – and all on the road – against the Eagles (twice), the Bengals, the Falcons and then the Dolphins.

The only time Dallas enjoyed a consecutive win streak at home in Week 9 dates back to the early 1970s. Dallas won four in a row at Texas Stadium between 1971-1976.

Dallas has faced the Falcons three times in Week 9 and all in Atlanta. They are 1-2 with a win in 1995 and losses in 2001 and 2012.

The Cowboys lost a game to the 1982 strike and had bye weeks in 2005 and 2022.

They faced the Eagles the most times in Week 9, holding a 7-3 record, with the Giants next at 5-4.

They have played 11 of the 16 AFC teams at least once on Week 9. Only the Bills, Texans, Ravens, Chargers, and Raiders haven’t been scheduled for this week.

My Prediction

(based on rosters as of today)

The Cowboys will extend their win streak over the Falcons and snap this year’s predicted three-game losing skid at the same time.

Predicted season record: 3-5