The warmup is nearly over, and the regular season looms as the Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys wrap up their respective preseason schedules on Friday night in Texas.
As always, Sportzino’s free sportsbook is here to deliver Falcons vs. Cowboys prediction and full NFL odds for the Friday night matchup.
After a pair of losses, the Falcons will be looking to end on a high before the starters take their place and the games begin for real. There may be a sense of urgency in Atlanta, but do the American football odds agree?
Like the Dirty Birds, the Cowboys have yet to taste success in August, with double-digit losses at the hands of the L.A. Rams and Baltimore Ravens in the books. With contract drama surrounding a superstar and a traded-for quarterback underwhelming, the always splashy Cowboys will want to deliver a show for their fans to start the weekend right.
With a preseason finale on the slate this Friday in Dallas, check out our Atlanta Falcons vs. Dallas Cowboys predictions, including our NFL prediction, with kickoff set for August 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Matchup Atlanta Falcons vs Dallas Cowboys Overview
Teams: Atlanta Falcons vs. Dallas Cowboys
Date: Friday, August 22, 2025
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Venue: AT&T Stadium
Win Probabilities
The NFL win probabilities have been generated using insights from recent NFL games in combination with expert NFL picks and predictions.
The Atlanta Falcons are riding the wave of expectations once again, and have been given a 42.55% chance to win this NFL game. Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys thrive in hope season and embraced it once more, with a 66.67% chance according to the NFL win probabilities.
Projected Final Score
The projected final score anticipates a tight game in the house that Jerry built, and for the Dallas Cowboys to prevail with a final score of Dallas Cowboys 24-17 Atlanta Falcons.
Expert Prediction: Who Wins?
The third preseason game is a tricky spot for many teams, with both the Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys falling under this umbrella. On the one hand, the regular season prep is largely done. The starters have gotten the large majority of the preseason reps they’re going to, and game-planning has already turned to Week 1 opponents.
But, on the other hand, they hardly want to slink into September on the backs of a trio of uninspiring performances. With two teams that tend to take preseason relatively seriously on a collision course here, expect a competitive game—even if it’s largely marked by backups and soon-to-be cut down day victims.
It does, in effect, set up a fascinating Friday night matchup.
Why the Atlanta Falcons Can Cover
The Falcons have been in an awkward spot all preseason long, and now it has forced their hand to make a roster addition. Sophomore quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has full control of the offense, now entrenched as the starter after taking over the job late last season.
That has reduced Kirk Cousins to a wildly expensive backup, and with his spot on the roster still up in the air—with the potential for an injury elsewhere in the league causing a trade—Atlanta has played it similarly safe with him. Through two preseason games, neither Penix nor Cousins has suited up.
The result is plenty of run out for long-time L.A. Chargers backup Easton Stick and, briefly, Emory Jones.
After an injury to Jones, however, Atlanta’s now added former Cowboys backup and spot starter Ben DiNucci. With Cousins’ future up in the air and Stick in line to be a needed backup this season, DiNucci is likely to get a long showcase on Friday night.
Though DiNucci is very much a journeyman, he’s also proven to be an NFL-caliber backup—which can’t be said about a lot of the passers in line to play in Week 3 of the preseason. More importantly for the Falcons and their chances of covering, he’s also vying for a roster spot somewhere in 2025.
A decent dual threat, DiNucci is the kind of quarterback who can create a little excitement against preseason defenses—and potentially even help his team hang around and cover.
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Why the Dallas Cowboys Can Cover
Odd as it may seem, there was genuine excitement to watch the Cowboys this preseason.
They had traded for Joe Milton, a sixth-round pick of the New England Patriots last spring who had become an object of fascination after last year’s preseason—and only furthered that in his one extended stretch of play during the regular season.
With outstanding height, size, and arm talent, Milton is a fun watch. In his lone regular season appearance in 2024, he completed 76% of his passes for 241 yards and a touchdown—without turning the ball over.
He seemed primed to flash further talent as Dallas’s presumed backup, but the past two weeks have hardly gone according to expectations.
Across two games, Milton has completed 55% of his passes (26 of 47) for 265 yards, one touchdown, and two picks. As a result of Milton’s struggles, the offense has been stuck in the mud.
Worse still, young skill position players like Phil Mafah, Jalen Brooks, Ryan Flournoy, and Deuce Vaughn haven’t been able to get meaningful in-game reps.
Whether it’s with a simplified game plan for Milton or an extended run for veteran backup Will Grier, the Cowboys are going to take meaningful steps to polish the offense’s performance on Friday night to make better-informed roster decisions.
Milton’s struggles through two weeks have put Dallas behind the eight ball in many respects. That said, it has also given the team the chance to put a little more meaning in what’s typically the least meaningful preseason game.
As a result, the door is wide open for the Cowboys to cover—and win—at home on Friday night.
Current Atlanta Falcons vs. Dallas Cowboys Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
| Atlanta Falcons | 135 | +3.5 (-110) | 39.5(-120) |
| Dallas Cowboys | -200 | -3.5(-125) | 39.5(-120) |
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