Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman racked up three touchdowns to keep his squad a perfect 3-0 on the season. (Getty)
Final
Atlanta Falcons 7-10-8-14 — 39
Dallas Cowboys 14-14-0-0 — 28
The Atlanta Falcons are in first place in the NFC East. And also in the NFC South. That second one is probably more important to the team.
The Falcons continue to roll on both sides of the ball as the revamped, revitalized squad notched its third victory of the season, and its third straight victory against an NFC East squad, with a comeback performance against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon.
Devonta Freeman had a big-time afternoon on the ground, racking up 141 yards and three touchdowns on a whopping 30 carries. Matt Ryan, meanwhile, again found a rhythm in the pocket, throwing 285 yards on 24-of-36 passing. Then there was Julio Jones. The wideout crested the century mark for the third straight week, notching 164 yards and two touchdowns with 12 receptions. He’s good. Put Julio Jones in your fantasy lineups.
While the Falcons offense, which scored 25 unanswered points in the second half, was the story of the final 30 minutes, the Dallas offense still held its own even without Tony Romo or Dez Bryant.
Joseph Randle, who had three touchdown runs last season, recorded three end zone trips in the first half and rushed for 87 total yards. Brandon Weeden threw just four incomplete passes and racked up 232 yards through the air with one interception.
Still, the Cowboys defense could not find an answer for Freeman or Jones in the second half. And that was the difference. Click here to check out a full box score of the game and read on for some of the game’s top highlights:
Julio Jones Continues to Be Unstoppable
He did it again.
Julio Jones is not human. TOUCHDOWN! #ATLvsDAL http://t.co/9fcPARHlSV
Julio Jones is really, really, really good at playing football. Like really good.
Third down and two, Falcons looking to pad their lead deep in Cowboys territory. Seems like the perfect set up for a run into the end zone, right? Not when Julio Jones is on your roster. Then you fake the run and throw to Jones for his second touchdown of the day.
JULIOOOOOOO!!!!!!! #ATLvsDAL
Jones now has 12 receptions for 164 yards and two touchdowns. It’s starting to border on ridiculous.
Oh, also, Atlanta has put up 25 unanswered points.
Devonta Freeman Gave Atlanta Its First Lead of the Day
Devonta Freeman was having a pretty good time on Sunday.
The Atlanta Falcons running back, who got the the start in the backfield thanks to injuries, notched his third touchdown of the day early in the fourth quarter to give his squad the first lead of the afternoon. Through the scoring drive, Freeman had rushed 22 times for 100 carries and three touchdowns.
Devonta Freeman HAVING A DAY! Touchdown! Falcons take the lead! #ATLvsDAL
It’s the first time in 70 games the Falcons have had three rushing touchdowns in the same matchup.
Julio Jones Made Falcons History in the Third Quarter
3rd and 3 for Matt Ryan and Julio Jones? How about 45 yards for a TD. #ATLvsDAL #Falcons #Cowboys http://t.co/jCCFjvaX8g
Julio gonna Julio.
The Atlanta Falcons wide receiver, who has been nothing short of dominant so far this season, continued his impressive on-field performance with a 45-yard touchdown reception. It was Jones sixth catch of the game and put him over 100 yards receiving on the day – the third time this season he’s hit the century mark.
It’s the first time in Falcons history a receiver has notched 100 yards in three straight games. Julio Jones is good guys. Like really good.
The Cowboys Led the Falcons 28 – 17 at Halftime
Dallas Cowboys RB Joseph Randle had three TDs last season. He had three in the first half of Sunday’s game. (Getty)
Hey, have you guys heard? The Dallas Cowboys offensive line continues to be really, really good.
The guys in the trenches were the back bone of a rag tag offense on Sunday afternoon, giving plenty of time for the Cowboys to execute down the field – even without Tony Romo or Dez Bryant.
Brandon Weeden finished the half 13-of-14 for 164 yards and one touchdown. His only incompletion was an interception. Meanwhile, Joseph Randle could not be stopped. The Cowboys running back racked up 92 yards and three (!) touchdowns on 10 carries. By the end of the first half, Dallas had racked up 267 yards of total offense and only faced two third downs.
On the Falcons side of things, Matt Ryan was 11-of-19 for 132 yards, including three passes to Julio Jones.
Joseph Randle Scored His Third TD of the Half Late in the Second Quarter
Let’s just say Joseph Randle was on a roll on roll on Sunday afternoon.
The Dallas Cowboys running back, literally, flew into the end zone with just under a minute in the second quarter to notch his third touchdown of the half. Want to guess how many touchdowns Randle had last season? Three. It’s been a pretty good day.
Brandon Weeden Was Picked Off by Falcons Safety William Moore
The Falcons needed that something fierce.
This was happening:
And then this happened:
The turnover led to a Falcons touchdown as Devonta Freeman made his second trip to the end zone during the first half, running in from two yards out to make it a seven-point game.
Darren McFadden Added a Two-Yard Rushing Touchdown
https://twitter.com/DOrlandoAJC/status/648194612402655232
The Dallas Cowboys run game was on a completely different level in the first half of Sunday’s matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.
Darren McFadded found the end zone midway through the second quarter on a two-yard run, adding on to the squad’s impressive ground attack with Joseph Randle. Here’s a fun fact. Dallas had three rushing touchdowns in the first 23 minutes of this game. The Cowboys did not have a rushing touchdown in the first two games of the season.
Welcome back, offensive line. You’re playing really well and the running backs have a combined 125 yards on 14 carries.
Devonta Freeman Capped Off an 80-YD Falcons Drive
Call: answered. Touchdown! #ATLvsDAL http://t.co/UYcc8rn3zW
The Falcons needed a touchdown and Devonta Freeman gave them a touchdown.
Freeman capped off an 80-yard, 11-play drive with a three yard dash to the outside, sprinting around the Cowboys defensive line to run into the end zone. As you can see, Atlanta’s offense was pretty psyched. Give some serious credit to the offensive line on that drive, giving Freeman room to run and Matt Ryan enough time to drop back to pass.
Ryan found Julio Jones three times for 27 yards on that drive.
Joseph Randle Got the Cowboys on the Board Early With Two Touchdown Runs
.@JRAN_1 on FIRE!!!!! #ATLvsDAL http://t.co/EShMCjOgsX
Well, that’s one way to get your team feeling good.
Cowboys running back Joseph Randle ripped off a 37-yard touchdown run on the first possession of the game to put Dallas up 7-0 on the Falcons. Check that blocking, though:
No Romo?
No Dez?
No problem.
Joseph Randle with the moves on a RIDICULOUS 37-yard TD run. #ATLvsDAL http://t.co/Ryj6whMLnE
Then, for good measure. Randle added a second touchdown in the first quarter. On just six carries, Randle racked up 86 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 14.3 yards per carry. Run, Randle, run.
Game Preview
Your move, Dallas Cowboys secondary.
Julio Jones has been explosive in two games so far this season, second in the league with 276 receiving yards, including a career-high 13 catches for 135 yards against the New York Giants last week.
“I think the sky’s the limit,” quarterback Matt Ryan said earlier this week. “I think he’s only going to continue to improve. As good of a skill set as you can possibly imagine, an unbelievable work ethic to get the most out of that skill set and he’s one of the best teammates you could ask for.”
Much like their offense, the Cowboys secondary is more than slightly depleted in the secondary. Brandon Carr will likely draw coverage against Jones in a matchup that he called “a big challenge.”
The best way to make sure Jones doesn’t run rampant is to get in Ryan’s face. A strong pass rush can make Ryan uncomfortable and force him into bad passing decisions that don’t end with Jones finding his way into the end zone.
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Falcons vs. Cowboys: Score, Stats & Highlights