ATLANTA – A year ago, the Dallas Cowboys’ season effectively ended at Mercedes-Benz Stadium with the eight sacks of Dak Prescott telling the story of a sorry year.
On Sunday, the Cowboys kept their season alive with a 22-19 win against the Atlanta Falcons on a 42-yard field goal by Brett Maher, whose missed point-after attempt earlier in the fourth quarter put the Cowboys in position of needing the two-minute drive.
Maher beat the Detroit Lions in Week 4 with a 38-yard field goal. His game-tying attempt earlier in the season against the Washington Redskins hit the upright in a loss, but the 42-yarder Sunday sliced just inside the right upright for the win.
It was Prescott’s seventh fourth-quarter game-winning drive, and he was able to walk out of Atlanta feeling much differently than he did a year ago.
And more importantly the Cowboys’ season is still alive after consecutive wins for the first time this season.
At 5-5, the Cowboys have a quick turnaround with the Washington Redskins visiting AT&T Stadium on Thanksgiving. The Redskins will not have quarterback Alex Smith because of a severe ankle injury.
Prescott completed four of his six passes on the game-winning drive, including a key 10-yarder to Michael Gallup on third down and a 19-yard floater to Cole Beasley that put the Cowboys in position for Maher’s attempt.
Prescott’s late heroics complemented the all-round superior game of Ezekiel Elliott. He admitted he had a difficult time watching last year’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons. He was at his home, serving the first of a six-game suspension, forced to view it on the television.
He finished with 23 carries for 122 yards and a touchdown Sunday, giving him back-to-back 100-yard games for the second time this season. He also caught seven passes for 79 yards and made a huge block on Gallup’s catch.
It was his fourth career game with at least 200 scrimmage yards, which is already tied with Emmitt Smith and DeMarco Murray for the most in Cowboys history, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
The Atlanta defense has been shredded this season, but mostly through the air. Six times the Falcons allowed an opposing quarterback to throw for more than 300 yards. Prescott had 208 yards in an efficient performance that finished with big plays late.
Dallas’ defense also played a key role.
When Sean Lee suffered a hamstring early in last year’s loss, the defense crumbled. Lee was on the sideline Sunday with a hamstring strain but his replacement, Leighton Vander Esch, turned in two of the biggest plays of the game.
He intercepted a Matt Ryan pass that deflected off Calvin Ridley, who many Cowboys fans wanted their team to draft instead of the linebacker. Vander Esch set up Elliott’s touchdown run with 12:26 to play and he broke up a third-down pass to tight end Austin Hooper that forced Atlanta to kick its fourth field goal of the game.
The defense finally cracked late with Julio Jones’ 34-yard touchdown catch with 1:52 to play, but to hold a Ryan-led offense to just one touchdown was impressive.
And now they have to do it again in four days.
With their season very much alive.