The Brandon Weeden era is about to begin in Dallas, and he will be tasked with the responsibility of keeping the Cowboys afloat in Tony Romo's absence. Romo broke his collarbone in the Cowboys' win over the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday and will miss at least eight weeks. It's another blow to the reeling Cowboys offense, which will also be without Dez Bryant for the next several weeks.
Falcons vs. Cowboys 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
The Brandon Weeden era could get off to a rough start when the undefeated Falcons visit AT&T Stadium Sunday.
Weeden's NFL career has been bizarre. He was a New York Yankees first-round pick in 2002, but couldn't advance past Single-A. So Weeden tried his hand at football, latching on with Oklahoma State. He set numerous records in Stillwater and holds the school's high-mark for passing yards in a season, passing yards in a game, completed passes in a season and completion percentage. The Cleveland Browns selected Weeden with the 22nd overall pick in the 2012 draft.
Weeden had a disastrous rookie campaign in Cleveland, only completing 57.4 percent of his passes and throwing more interceptions than touchdowns in 15 starts. He hasn’t been penciled in as a long-term starter since then, until now.
Though Weeden performed well in limited action last week, the Cowboys have a backup plan in case he falters: the club acquired veteran Matt Cassel from the Buffalo Bills Wednesday in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick. Cassel looked like a viable starter after he led the New England Patriots to an 11-5 season in Tom Brady's absence seven years ago, but has seldom been able to replicate that performance since then. The only other bright spot on his resume is a Pro Bowl appearance in 2010.
Whether Weeden or Cassel is under center, the Cowboys will probably have to rely on their defense to capitalize on opponents' mistakes. That was the formula Dallas rode to victory against an inept Eagles team in Week 2, with Philadelphia turning the ball over three times. So far, Dallas has been able to withstand the absences of Greg Hardy, Rolando McClain, Randy Gregory and Orlando Scandrick on the defensive side of the ball.
The Atlanta Falcons also benefited from a disorganized Philly offense in Week 1, and took advantage of several miscues in their season-opening win. They continued their winning ways against the New York Giants last Sunday, knocking off the G-Men on the road, 24-20. The Giants blew a 10-point fourth quarter lead, and Eli Manning missed two passes to wide open receivers on New York's final drive.
The decisive play for Atlanta last Sunday was when Matt Ryan connected with star wideout Julio Jones for a 37-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter. It was a perfect pass and capped off a seven-play sequence that took less than two minutes.
Ryan has played well so far this season, completing 66.3 percent of his passes for 661 yards and three touchdown passes. He and the offense have carried a mediocre defense, which is currently ranked 29th in the league against the pass.
The Falcons will have plenty of opportunities to right themselves over the next three weeks, facing off against Weeden, Houston’s Ryan Mallett and Washington’s Kirk Cousins. Even though this game is in Dallas, it could get out of hand early if the Falcons got off to a hot start, and make the Cowboys one-dimensional offensively.
Even though the Cowboys have arguably the best offensive line in football, they can’t feel good about their chances to win if Weeden is dropping back to pass 30-40 times. But if the Falcons jump out to a substantial lead in the first half, Dallas might have no choice but to put the game in Weeden’s hands.
How to Watch:
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Network: FOX
Commentators: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews
Online: NFL Game Pass
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