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ATLANTA — The Cowboys are here Sunday night, but it already is desperation time in Dallas.
Faced with the daunting task of toppling the 7-0 Falcons at the Georgia Dome and struggling to keep up with the Giants in the NFC East, the Cowboys appeared to be at Defcon 1 this week — from owner Jerry Jones on down.
Fresh off a crushing 29-24 home loss to Big Blue last Sunday, Jones offered overmatched coach Jason Garrett a vote of confidence while son, and Cowboys personnel VP, Stephen Jones did the same for quarterback Tony Romo, and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan all but guaranteed a victory over Atlanta.
“We need to win now,” Ryan said Friday. “That’s what we’re going to do. I know the [3-4] record is not what we want it to be, but the ball is bouncing strange ways. When that thing starts evening out, we’re going to be great, and we’re going to keep playing. We’ve got to win this week, and we know it, and we’re going to [win].”
At least Ryan and the Cowboys have a bit of history on their side — courtesy of Romo, of all Dallas quarterbacks — against a Falcons team that is unbeaten this deep into the season for the first time in franchise history.
Romo is 2-0 in his career when facing a team that was unbeaten after at least seven games, having toppled Peyton Manning and the 9-0 Colts in 2006 and Drew Brees and the 13-0 Saints on the road in 2009.
But doing the same against QB Matt Ryan and the spotless Birds in prime time, in what is sure to be a rollicking atmosphere, is going to be a tall order, especially considering Romo’s horrid start. The former Pro Bowl passer leads the NFL with 13 interceptions in just seven games, including four picks last week that directly led to the Giants win.
Matt Ryan, on the other hand, has been in another world this year. The Atlanta ace is completing nearly 70 percent of his passes, and he is third in the NFL with 17 TDs against just six interceptions. Fueled by an array of big-play weapons in Julio Jones, Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White, Ryan’s 103.0 passer rating also is third in the league.
And Romo against the Falcons’ playmaking defense also appears to be a recipe for (more) disaster for the Cowboys. Atlanta is forcing turnovers at a furious clip, with safety Thomas DeCoud among the NFL leaders with four interceptions, and the Falcons have a lofty plus-10 turnover ratio.
Dallas has won five of the past seven meetings between the teams, but that will be irrelevant tonight against an Atlanta team that is gaining confidence by the week.
PICK: Falcons, 35-14.
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Eagles (3-4) at Saints (2-5): This might as well be renamed the Desperation Bowl, because neither team can afford too many more losses if they hope to stay in playoff contention. And the leash appears to be even shorter for Andy Reid and Michael Vick, both of whom are fighting for their jobs in the wake of Philadelphia’s frustrating, underachieving start. Fortunately for both, New Orleans’ defense is absolutely horrendous under former Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, allowing — and this is not a misprint — almost 500 yards per game.
PICK: Eagles, 41-27.
Dolphins (4-3) at Colts (4-3): Anyone predict in August that this would be a meeting of teams with winning records? Yeah, we didn’t think so. With how well both Dolphins rookie QB Ryan Tannehill and No. 1 pick Andrew Luck are playing, this should be a nice preview of the NFL’s future as well as an entertaining matchup of two shockingly competitive teams. Miami is in search of its fourth consecutive win and third straight victory on the road, but Luck and the Colts are a tough out at home.
PICK: Colts, 24-17.
bhubbuch@nypost.com