Dallas Cowboys’ first half versus Atlanta Falcons is epic for all the wrong reasons
Early in the first quarter, the roughly 20,000 fans at AT&T Stadium at Dallas Cowboys season opener against the Atlanta Falcons Sunday were likely thinking, “I risked COVID-19 for this.”
Nothing had gone right for the Cowboys, who at one point were down 20-0 thanks to three lost fumbles and a failed fake punt in their own territory.
The question at halftime was whether the fans would be rewarded with a historic comeback by the Cowboys, who showed some sign of life in the second quarter by posting 10 points and but still trailed 29-10 at halftime.
It was ugly from the start for the Cowboys as running back Tony Pollard fumbled on the opening drive, only to luckily have it overturned by replay.
The Cowboys were able to punt but it proved to be ominous.
Quarterback Dak Prescott fumbled on the ensuing drive following a sack, leading to a 22-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to Calvin Ridley.
Running back Ezekiel Elliott had two fumbles on the next drive. The first one he recovered. The second one, he didn’t.
The Falcons turned into a 42-yard touchdown pass from Ryan to a wide-open Hayden Hurst.
A desperate Cowboys team tried a fake punt from its own 29 the next time it got the ball. Punter Chris Jones short armed the ball.
A Falcons field goal made it 17-0.
The Cowboys got the trifecta when tight end Dalton Schultz fumbled after a pass from Dak Prescott, resulting in a field goal and a 20-0 first-quarter deficit, the second largest in team history.
The Cowboys became the three teams in the past 19 years to have four fumbles in the first quarter, joining the 2013 Lions and 2001 Packers. The Cowboys lost three of them.
Including the playoffs, the Cowboys have lost their last 16 games in which they trailed by at least 14 points.
The Cowboys showed some life in the second quarter when Elliott capped a 75-yard drive with a one-yard run.
The Falcons, however, answered with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Ryan to Ridley.
The two teams traded field goals to end the half, with the Cowboys down 19 but getting the ball to start the third quarter.
Prescott was 15 of 19 for 138 yards in the first half.
Elliott had 12 carries for 44 yards and four receptions for 22 yards.
This story was originally published September 20, 2020 at 2:06 PM.
