(Arlington) Bets Mike McCarthy didn’t pay off on his home debut as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
A successful short kick erased all these failures.
Greg Zuerlein posted a 46-yard field goal on the last play of the game and the Cowboys ignored four fumbles and a 20-point lead in the first quarter to eventually beat the Atlanta Falcons 40-39.
The Falcons still had a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter when Dak Prescott became the first quarterback in NFL history to rack up more than 400 yards in the air and register three touchdowns in the same. match, allowing the Cowboys (1-1) to come back two points behind their rivals.
CJ Goodwin recovered from a short kick with 1:48 left and CeeDee Lamb caught a 24-yard pass to put the Cowboys in position to attempt a winning field goal and the final seconds on the clock.
PHOTO RON JENKINS, ASSOCIATED PRESS
“I don’t know if I’ve been involved in a lot of games like this,” Prescott said. We were able to win and the fans didn’t give up on us. It made a huge difference. ”
Matt Ryan threw four touchdown passes for the Falcons but suffered two fumbles.
The Cowboys’ short kick came after two failed punt-rigged attempts, as well as a failed two-point convert attempt that ultimately didn’t change anything.
Prescott tallied 450 yards in the air and a touchdown pass.
The crowd of 21,708 booed the Cowboys at the end of the first half, as the Falcons led 29-10. Prescott sounded the charge with two rushing touchdowns in the third quarter.
PHOTO MATTHEW EMMONS, USA TODAY SPORTS
More than 21,000 spectators attended the game presented at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Rather than lamenting a 0-2 record for just a second time as head coach, McCarthy celebrated his Dallas debut in the stadium where he won the Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers ago. a decade.
In his last two visits to AT&T Stadium, McCarthy had seen Aaron Rodgers defeat the Cowboys in the closing seconds of the clash, including one in the playoffs.
“I had a victory on the other side of the field, but not like this,” said McCarthy. We dug a hole in the first quarter. The season is young and we are getting to know each other. ”
The Falcons haven’t been able to avoid a first start to the season going 0-2 in six seasons under head coach Dan Quinn. The performance was a reminder of their lost 28-3 Super Bowl lead to wrap up the 2016 season.
In the past nine seasons, the Falcons have suffered two of three losses in which one team lost after leading by at least 15 points in the fourth quarter.
“It’s hard to put a loss like that in perspective,” Quinn said. I told the players that there must be a lesson to be learned from the pain of this loss. We’ll be working on it during our preparation for the next week, but this loss hurts. ”
