Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys Destroy Matt Ryan, Falcons in Bounce-Back Game

The Dallas Cowboys improved to 7-2 with a 43-3 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Fans were expecting a positive response after the Cowboys experienced an emphatic defeat to the Denver Broncos in Week 9.

The Falcons (4-5), on the other hand, see some of their momentum stalled after having won three of their last four games. Atlanta has yet to climb above .500 this season.

This contest was effectively decided by halftime. The Cowboys piled up 265 yards in the first half and jumped ahead 36-3.

Notable Performers

Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys: 24-of-31, 296 yards, two touchdowns; two carries, five yards

Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Cowboys: 14 carries, 41 yards, two touchdowns; three receptions, 15 yards

CeeDee Lamb, WR, Cowboys: six receptions, 94 yards, two touchdowns

Matt Ryan, QB, Falcons: 9-of-21, 117 yards, two touchdowns

Kyle Pitts, TE, Falcons: four receptions, 60 yards

All Gas No Brakes in First Half for Dallas

The Cowboys had five drives in the first half. Here's how they each ended: touchdown, punt, touchdown, touchdown and touchdown. This resembled a college game where Dallas decided to schedule a Group of Five or FCS school as a midseason tuneup.

Whatever message head coach Mike McCarthy used after the Broncos game resonated with his players.

CeeDee Lamb not only outscored the Falcons through the first two quarters, but his 94 receiving yards also eclipsed Atlanta's total output (89 yards).

The Cowboys have seen plenty of skilled pass-catchers through their doors. The second-year wideout is quickly putting himself in that group.

On the other side of the ball, it might be time to put Trevon Diggs on some sort of interception tracker. Night Train Lane owns the single-season mark (14) and Diggs is now more than halfway there with eight games remaining.

Considering Lane has held the record since 1952, the Cowboys cornerback probably won't get there in the end, but he may mount a stiff challenge.

Falcons Grounded Early

At least Atlanta sports fans can fire up replays from the 2021 World Series to cheer themselves up.

To say this wasn't the Falcons' day doesn't go far enough to describe how badly things went in the first half. The final minute encapsulated how it was a case of Murphy's law in action.

Atlanta got the ball with 1:10 on the clock following Lamb's second touchdown grab. A strip-sack by Micah Parsons led to a loss of nine yards on first down and the next two plays yielded one total yard.

On fourth down, Dorance Armstrong blocked Dustin Colquitt's punt and Nahshon Wright fell on the ball in the end zone for a score. Not content to take a 32-point lead, McCarthy decided to go for two when a penalty allowed Dallas another shot on its point-after attempt.

It seems pretty clear Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was carrying a chip on his shoulder after having been fired by the Falcons. Luckily for Atlanta, it won't be running into Mike Smith or Jim Mora anytime soon.

During the Detroit Lions' bye, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn symbolically buried the film of their Week 8 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. That might be a smart idea for Atlanta's coaching staff in handling Sunday's heavy defeat.

What's Next?

The Falcons have a short week as they host the New England Patriots on Thursday at 8:20 p.m. ET. The Cowboys hit the road for a date with the Kansas City Chiefs on No. 21 at 4:25 p.m. ET.