Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Kick caps wild comeback
In front of small home crowd, Zuerlein’s FG at end lifts Cowboys
ARLINGTON, Texas — One gamble after another failed for coach Mike McCarthy in his home debut with the 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 Falcons 40-39 on Sunday.
The Falcons were still up 15 in the fourth before Dak Prescott became the first QB in league history to pass for more than 400 yards and rush for three TDs in the same game, the third getting the Cowboys (1-1) within two.
Zuerlein didn’t use a tee for his slow-rolling onside attempt, a rare tactic. But even more curious were the Falcons players surrounding the ball when they could have recovered it. As soon as it crossed the 10-yard mark, C.J. Goodwin emerged with the ball and 1:48 on the clock.
Rookie WR CeeDee Lamb’s 24-yard catch got the Cowboys in field goal position, and they ran down the clock before Zuerlein touched off a wild celebration for the players and the socially distanced 21,708 fans who booed the Cowboys off the field with the Falcons 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,” 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 with the Packers in 2006 — McCarthy celebrated his debut on the Cowboys sideline of the venue that hosted his Super Bowl win with the Packers a decade ago.
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 the Patriots in Houston to finish the 2016 season.