Cowboys 37, Falcons 21

Arlington, TX – The Dallas Cowboys hosted the Atlanta Falcons at the shining new Cowboys Stadium. The Cowboys were coming off a bye week, usually a sure sign of success.  Atlanta came to town with a record of 4-1 and first place in the NFC South.

Atlanta began the game with an 80 yard scoring drive to set the tone for the game.   The Falcon defense followed suit, holding the Cowboys to a 3 and out series.

Both teams traded punts for the rest of the first quarter.   The Cowboys offense looked horrible as the plays with the most yardage seemed to be false start penalties against them.  This continues to be a problem for the Cowboys – the offensive line just cannot learn the snap count. It seems it would be better if the Cowboys just called all the plays “on one”.

The Cowboys got things together and took the lead for good with a 59 yard touchdown catch by Miles Austin.  In two games as a starter, Austin is showing he is the receiving playmaker the Cowboys have been looking for.  Dallas would score again just before halftime with a 5 yard touchdown reception by Patrick Crayton.

Atlanta would score again to get within 3, before Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo would again find Austin for a 22 yard touchdown.  A Nick Folk field goal increases Dallas’ lead before Crayton breaks the game wide open with a 73 yard punt return for a touchdown. The Falcons would get another score before the Cowboys closed out the game with another field goal before running out the clock. Final score: Cowboys 37, Falcons 21.