5 best games to watch during Oakland Raiders’ bye
By John Buhler
3. Dallas Cowboys (5-3) at Atlanta Falcons (4-4)
This game is big in both terms of national appeal and playoff implications in the NFC. The featured 1:00 p.m. PT, 4:00 p.m. ET game on FOX this week will be between the Dallas Cowboys and the Atlanta Falcons. This is the first game Dallas will be without Ezekiel Elliott at running back due to his six-game suspension.
Atlanta needs this one in the worst way. The Super Bowl hangover is strong with these Dirty Birds, as the Falcons are only 4-4 on the year. They have gone 1-4 in their last five games after starting the season 3-0. Dallas is 2.5 games back of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East race. Not having Elliott for the next month and a half probably knocks the Cowboys down to maybe just being a wild card team.
Kickoff from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta will be at 1:25 p.m. PT, 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will be in the booth to call it for FOX. Though the featured late afternoon game on FOX, there is another absolute horror show of a game that you could be viewing instead.
The winless San Francisco 49ers will host the awful New York Giants in Santa Clara. Be sure to check out 506Sports.com to make sure what game you will be viewing. It might be an NFL Sunday Ticket or a live stream game for the folks in the Bay Area and in New York. Unless you like watching two teams with one combined win play presumably awful football instead, so that’s cool.