Cowboys, Falcons meet in critical matchup

ATLANTA – Maybe this is the good time to be facing the Dallas Cowboys. Maybe not.

The Atlanta Falcons aren’t sure.

Granted, the Cowboys hardly looked like a playoff contender in last weekend’s 42-17 loss to New Orleans.

Surely their confidence was shaken a bit, their bravado taken down a notch or two after such a crashing halt to a run of four straight wins.

Then again, there are times when a blowout loss serves as a wake-up call, the sort of slap in the face a talented team needs to regain its focus.

Maybe the Cowboys will be in the mood for payback against the next team on the schedule.

That just happens to be the Falcons (7-6), who are hosting Dallas (8-5) tonight in a game that will have a major impact on the NFC playoff race.

“When a team puts 42 points on you in a national TV game, a little bit of doubt starts to creep in,” Falcons linebacker Ike Reese said. “To lose like that before they come in here is not necessarily a bad thing.”

Teammate DeAngelo Hall looks at it differently.

“That just makes them more dangerous,” he said. “I wish they had won, to tell you the truth.”

Both teams have reached that must-win stage of the season. The Cowboys are clinging to a one-game lead in the NFC East over Philadelphia and the New York Giants. The Falcons are part of a three-way deadlock for two wild-card spots, with two other teams just a game behind.

Led by quarterback Tony Romo, the Cowboys had won five of six games until they got steamrolled by New Orleans last weekend.