The Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys each enter Sunday’s matchup with 2-0 records. But the teams have clearly reached their records in completely different fashions. The Falcons have grinded out two victories in the fourth quarter while the Cowboys have overcome serious injuries in each of their contests.
The Cowboys come in with the third ranked defense in the NFL, including the best run defense in the league. The Falcons have one of the greatest combo’s in the NFL in quarterback Matt Ryan and receiver Julio Jones. The Cowboys have faced one other elite receiver thus far in 2015 in Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants. For week one, OBJ caught five passes for just 44 yards against a Cowboys defense that keyed on him. That total represented his lowest output in the last 11 games.
The Falcons can expect the Cowboys to use some of these same coverages. Here’s a rundown of the looks they’ll throw at Julio Jones:
Standard Cover 2
Odell Beckham Jr. (circled in red) lines up wide left in a 21 personnel package (two backs, one tight end). Cowboy cornerbacks Morris Claiborne (circled) and Brandon Carr will be asked to get their hands on Julio Jones at the line of scrimmage. Cowboys safeties JJ Wilcox (circled) and Barry Church will play over the top of Jones. The Falcons saw this coverage early and often during their game against the Giants. The Falcons responded by throwing very short routes to Jones even though that exposed him to some abuse.
The Danger in Challenging a Cover 2
Last weekend verse the New York Giants, the Falcons were wise to take what they were given and to work the middle of the field with their slot receivers and tight ends. In the Cowboys victory over the Giants in week one, the Giants attempted to work up the field with Beckham Jr. against the Cowboys defense. Cowboys safety JJ Wilcox was able to hammer Odell Beckham Jr. and perhaps knock him out of the game. OBJ avoided being tested for a concussion upon returning to the sidelines.
The Falcons Adjustments
One of the adjustments that was made by the Falcons in their victory over the Giants was to move receiver Julio Jones into the slot. The move helped alter the underneath coverage that the Giants were playing. The Giants made this same move against the Cowboys, which forced the defense to play a linebacker on Beckham Jr. with a safety providing deep help. The Cowboys defense was still playing a Cover 2, which also makes the outside cornerback into the play.
While the Giants were unable to take advantage of the Cowboys linebackers, defending Julio with a linebacker would be a losing proposition.
The Home Run Opportunity
What you will see below is one of Matt Ryan's favorite things to see. The Eagles were beaten late in part because they decided to play man-free against Julio Jones. In this situation, Eagles cornerback Byron Maxwell has man coverage against Jones with a single safety left to protect the entire backend of the field. The Cowboys will not show this look anywhere near as much. But when they do, it is an opportunity for the Falcons offense.
The Exotic Looks
One of the creative looks the Dallas Cowboys are doing defensively has to do with first round draft pick Byron Jones. Byron Jones is a unique athlete in that he is 6'1 and 200lbs, but capable of running with opposing receivers. The Cowboys have used him as a nickel package linebacker, where his job has been to primarily defend athletic tight ends. But what the Cowboys have also done is used Byron Jones as a big defender on slot receivers.
No one in the league catch physically matchup with Julio Jones, but this is another look that allows the Cowboys to get a space-eating athlete on Julio Jones when he moves into the slot.