It won\u2019t take long to sort out if this game was more of a statement about how good the Cowboys are capable of being, or much more about ineptitude from the Falcons, as the intensity the Cowboys will face in 12 days on the road at the Philadelphia Eagles will be a night and day difference from all preseason reps. Still, with everything circling the franchise right now unrelated to the game being played between the lines, there\u2019s nothing wrong with enjoying a win of any form to some extent.<\/p>\n
Here are several of the things that stood out for the Cowboys in this win, from all three phases of the game.<\/p>\n
In their first two losses this preseason, the Cowboys defense was able to get near the quarterback on a few occasions, but not affect them enough to not allow big plays. Finishing with sacks had to be a point of emphasis against the Falcons, and James Houston did just that on the first drive of the game. It was the type of big play this defense needed to set the offense back and eventually get a stop, as it came immediately after Easton Stick completed a 24-yard pass down the middle for a first down.<\/p>\n
An underrated part of the play Houston recorded his first sack on was the coverage from Darius Harris underneath. Harris was able to drop perfectly into the throwing lane of Stick\u2019s first read, giving him nowhere to go in time to avoid Houston screaming off the edge. This would just be a small taste of something the Cowboys did at a high level all game, committing numbers to coverage and taking the ball away with interceptions by cornerback Robert Rochell, rookie linebacker Shemar James, and a handful of other plays on the ball from the backend, including Harris again on a third and goal.<\/p>\n
Following Houston\u2019s sack, the final play that may fully secure his roster spot after also having a strong game against the Ravens, Kemon Hall broke up a pass on third down to force a missed field goal attempt by the Falcons. Houston also had a tackle for loss on a reverse play later in the game, which led to a long passing situation and would-be interception by Troy Pride that was overruled by penalty, and a pressure on a play that defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey finished with a sack in the second half.<\/p>\n
Winfrey was the Cowboys best interior pass rusher this preseason, winning with a straight bull rush for a sack in this game, and appears primed to be the latest UFL signing that makes the roster and sees the field for Dallas.<\/p>\n
Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images<\/p>\n The work the Cowboys did at running back this preseason may end up being much, much more about the players they didn\u2019t use as much as the ones they did. The final totals on the ground through three games were as follows:<\/p>\n Running BackAttemptsYardsYards Per AttemptTDsDeuce Vaughn17643.76Phil Mafah15593.931Malik Davis9707.77Miles Sanders7152.14Jaydon Blue9252.771<\/p>\n Deuce Vaughn getting the start at running back in this game and ending with more work than any other Cowboys back this preseason can hardly be considered a sign he\u2019s in line for this type of role in the regular season. In fact, the situation could be the complete opposite. Once Vaughn was out of the game, the Cowboys were able to see rookie Jaydon Blue getting in on the action for the first time.<\/p>\n Vaughn\u2019s highlight of the night came in the red zone on the Cowboys opening drive, setting up a first and goal with a 12-yard run and then being tackled at the one-yard line the very next play. Vaughn got a great block at the second level by Nick Broeker, starting at right guard in place of rookie Tyler Booker who the Cowboys apparently saw all they needed from last week. It was the type of play fans should be eager to see from Booker and the entirety of the starting offensive line in less than two weeks now. This play also set up one of the better play-calling sequences from Schottenheimer all preseason, as a designed run by Joe Milton to the opposite side on the very next play created a walk in touchdown. The Cowboys finished all three of their red zone trips with rushing touchdowns from three different players.<\/p>\n The second touchdown came from Jaydon Blue, who unlike Vaughn was given the chance to finish a scoring opportunity he set up with a 13-yard run down to the Falcons two-yard line. On this play, center Brock Hoffman was able to make a great seal block on a defender that lined up over the nose of Broeker, creating a lane for Blue to show off his burst up the middle. He then flashed some power by lowering his shoulder to score from one-yard out.<\/p>\n Rookie Phil Mafah\u2019s touchdown also came as a reward following a big red zone run, as he bounced off defenders and broke tackles on his way to a 15-yard gain in the fourth quarter. Three plays later, Mafah was in the end zone to make the final score of 31-13.<\/p>\n Not only is this a game tape that offensive coordinator Klayton Adams and line coach Conor Riley can be highly encouraged by, but the Cowboys showed real promise as a team that may be able to run the ball between the tackles to set up shot plays on the outside, and overall put their defense in the types of favorable situations they took full advantage of against Atlanta.<\/p>\n Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images<\/p>\n The way the Cowboys depth chart has unfolded at tight end this preseason has been one of the most unexpected parts of forecasting the final roster. Undrafted free agent target Rivaldo Fairweather was impressive again in this game, making a great adjusting catch on a back shoulder ball from Joe Milton to convert a third down on the team\u2019s second possession. Dallas had struggled to stay on the field on third downs to this point in the preseason, but thanks to this acrobatic catch by Fairweather, the drive continued and ended with a touchdown to take a 14-0 lead.<\/p>\n Fairweather has made all of the types of plays that were expected of second-year undrafted TE Brevyn Spann-Ford before injury, as well as Luke Schoonmaker and Jake Ferguson. It\u2019s still highly likely Ferguson and Schoonmaker will get more of these opportunities ahead of Fairweather in the regular season, but Fairweather\u2019s size and playmaking ability is impossible to ignore as a legitimate candidate to make the team now. The Cowboys want to win the line of scrimmage, create easy throws for their quarterback, and take advantage of matchups in the passing game. The size, catch radius, and run after the catch ability of Fairweather makes him a factor in all of these areas.<\/p>\n Fairweather also combined with running back Malik Davis to deliver a big hit on a punt return, the type of play that not only got the Cowboys sideline fired up because of the hit, but also because of the two names in on the play both being players on the bubble needing that type of impact play to stand out.<\/p>\n Dallas has given looks at tight end to fullback Hunter Luepke this training camp and preseason, creating a similar look to what they get with Fairweather, but the Auburn product is far more dynamic at the position, and versatile in multiple phases of the game.<\/p>\n Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images<\/p>\n How much of what is observed in the preseason can actually be applied to the regular season is always something of a mystery, but one thing was obvious in all three games for the Cowboys, creating an expectation that it will remain a focus going forward under Schottenheimer\u2019s play-calling. This offense wants to throw the ball downfield and put stress on defenses with vertical routes, even out of running formations. Fairweather\u2019s catch on a vertical seam ball was one of three vertical routes being run downfield on that play.<\/p>\n The longest pass play of the night went to Jalen Brooks for a touchdown to start the third quarter though. Throwing out of play-action in an offset I Formation, the Cowboys had the right personnel in the game to alert the Falcons to a run play, but instead took the one-on-one shot to Brooks down the sideline. The third-year receiver has shown a knack for making plays on these types of throws, even in limited opportunity, and in this case pulled away from his defender at the last second to get on the receiving end of a patented laser throw by Milton.<\/p>\n With Ryan Flournoy also finishing as the Cowboys leading receiver in this game, the team has made a statement through three exhibition games about the types of receivers that can thrive the most in this new scheme. The all-around talent of both CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens is still waiting in the wings, with neither taking a single snap this preseason, but the names that get in the mix behind these two high volume receivers may come as a surprise given what we saw this preseason.<\/p>\n Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images<\/p>\n The position group the Cowboys absolutely needed to see more from in this game to have any positive feelings about the situation going into week one was defensive tackle. The Cowboys got much better play overall from their defensive interior. It is amazing what just holding their own at the line of scrimmage can do for the overall feel of a defense, and this is exactly what the Cowboys did for most of the game against the Falcons.<\/p>\n Continuing to defend the run between the tackles is going to be a necessity for this team to win games, starting with one of the toughest possible tests in Saquon Barkley and the Eagles ground game. Perrion Winfrey continued to look like a viable pass rush option to pair with Osa Odighizuwa as the 3-tech Dallas will be counting heavily on. Payton Turner saw some reps at defensive tackle, getting in on the goal line stand the defense made on fourth down in the final minute of this win. Jay Toia saw a lot of playing time throughout the preseason and banked valuable reps that should help him get off to a better start as a very raw first year player at the 1-tech. Mazi Smith also played much of the game, but was still unimpressive.<\/p>\n The Cowboys have a long way to go to prove they\u2019ll consistently be even above average at defensive tackle, but they showed significant progress against the Falcons, and that is a best case scenario considering how addressing the position late in the preseason has also not worked before. Internal player development is Dallas\u2019 best chance to improve here, and under Matt Eberflus this preseason, they very quickly showed the ability to make these developments throughout the defense.<\/p>\n![\"Mandatory](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/imagn-26908304.jpg\"\/)
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