The Falcons come into this prime-time, Sunday Night matchup against the Cowboys with something to prove. But so far, the still-undefeated home team has looked less than perfect against a struggling Dallas squad.
After the Atlanta offense went three-and-out on the opening drive of the contest, Cowboys returner Dwayne Harris took a punt back 37 yards deep into Falcons territory.
Tony Romo would drive the Dallas offense down to the Atlanta five-yard line, but overthrew a covered receiver in the end zone on third-and-goal. That mistake would force the Cowboys to settle for a 23-yard Dan Bailey field goal.
On the next drive, Matt Ryan would hit Julio Jones on a monster throw deep down the sideline over first-round pick Morris Claiborne. After an offsides penalty and a 10-yard completion to Roddy White, the Falcons would attempt a field goal from 37 yards out.
Matt Bryant would miss the kick, his first of the entire season, and Atlanta remained down 3-0.
On the ensuing possession, Romo would avoid pressure and hook up with receiver Kevin Ogeltree on a 65-yard completion, again putting the offense at work close to the Atlanta end zone.
But once again, the Falcons defense stood firm in the red zone, and Dallas again settled for a field goal, giving them a 6-0 advantage as the first quarter ended.
After the Falcons offense finally got a drive going in the first quarter's waning moments, a Matt Bryant field goal early in the second quarter would cut that lead to 6-3.
Stay tuned to SB Nation Atlanta for more updates to come.