South Atlanta News

Raheem Morris, head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, found no need for new motivational strategies as his team prepared to face the Dallas Cowboys at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Instead, he drew upon their recent 34-14 defeat by the Seattle Seahawks in Week 7 to inspire focus and determination.

"It's nice to throw some subtle reminders out there about what it looks like when you don't have that focus and mindset that you need to go out there and win these home games that you want to go out there and win," Morris remarked.

The Falcons' game against the Cowboys presented a similar scenario to their earlier match against Seattle. Coming off a victory over NFC South rival Carolina Panthers, Atlanta was expected to win against a struggling Seahawks team. However, they suffered a disappointing loss marked by underperformance across offense, defense, and special teams.

Two weeks later, facing Dallas after another NFC South victory over Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta was again poised for success. This time, they delivered with an all-around performance that highlighted improvements in every area.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins completed 19 of 24 passes for three touchdowns and 222 yards. Bijan Robinson contributed significantly with 145 yards from scrimmage on 26 touches. The defense also excelled by pressuring Dak Prescott until he left the game due to injury while limiting Dallas' third-down conversions.

Special teams played a crucial role when Natrone Brooks disrupted a fake punt attempt by Dallas at the start of the second half.

Reflecting on their previous defeat at home, Kaden Elliss noted how lessons learned from Seattle's loss informed their approach this time. "The talking point was that (the Seattle loss) was a lesson learned. Don't let it happen again," Elliss said.

Morris' reminder about maintaining focus seemed effective as Atlanta achieved what could be considered one of their most complete victories this season.