Cowboys rally, stun Falcons in a wild finish
Zuerlein’s game-winning FG caps Dallas’ crazy comeback led by Prescott
ARLINGTON, Texas — One gamble after another failed for coach Mike McCarthy in his home debut with the Dallas Cowboys.
A successful onside kick made them all moot.
Greg Zuerlein kicked a 46-yard field goal as time expired, and the Cowboys overcame four fumbles and a 20-point deficit in the first quarter to beat the Atlanta Falcons 40-39 on Sunday.
The Falcons were still up 15 in the fourth quarter before
Dak Prescott became the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for more than 400 yards and rush for three touchdowns in the same game, the third TD getting Dallas (1-1) within two.
Zuerlein did not use a tee for his slow-rolling onside attempt, a rare tactic. But even more curious was Atlanta’s players surrounding the ball when they could have recovered it. As soon as it crossed the 10-yard mark, C.J. Goodwin pounced — and later emerged from the big pile with the ball and 1:48 on the clock.
Rookie receiver CeeDee Lamb’s 24-yard catch got the Cowboys in field goal position, and they ran down the clock before “Greg the Leg” touched off a wild celebration for the players and the socially distanced 21,708 fans who booed Dallas off the field with Atlanta up 29-10 at halftime. The crowd was 27% of AT&T Stadium’s 80,000-seat capacity.
“I don’t know if I’ve been in many games like this thing,” Prescott said. “But to be able to get the win, and in front of those fans that were there, stayed the whole game, they didn’t give up on us. That was a huge difference.”
Instead of lamenting just his second 0-2 start — his only one was his first season in Green Bay in 2006 — McCarthy celebrated his debut on the Dallas sideline of the venue that hosted his Super Bowl win with the Packers a decade ago.
In his final two appearances in the $1.2 billion retractable-roof stadium with the Packers, McCarthy watched as Aaron Rodgers beat the Cowboys twice in the final seconds, including a divisional playoff game when Prescott was a rookie.
“I had one on the other sideline, but not like this,” McCarthy said. “We dug ourselves such a big hole there in the first quarter. Young in a football season, learning a lot about each other each and every night.”
Matt Ryan threw four touchdown passes, two off the three lost fumbles from the Cowboys in the first quarter, which ended with Atlanta in front 20-0.
But the Falcons couldn’t avoid their first 0-2 start in six seasons under coach Dan Quinn in a performance reminiscent of their blown 28-3 lead in a Super Bowl loss to New England in Houston to finish the 2016 season.
In the past nine seasons, Atlanta has two of the three instances in which a team lost after leading by at least 15 points in the fourth quarter.