ATLANTA (AP) — Anyone who watched the Atlanta Falcons over the past few seasons could recognize their biggest shortcoming.
The lack of a first-rate quarterback.
Kirk Cousins has been just what they needed.
Cousins threw three more touchdown passes and the Falcons strengthened their hold on first place in the NFC South with a 27-21 victory Sunday over the struggling Dallas Cowboys, who took their third straight setback and lost quarterback Dak Prescott to a hamstring injury.
Cousins completed 19 of 24 passes for 222 yards, including 13 in a row at one point for the Falcons (6-3). He had scoring plays of 9 yards to Drake London, 36 yards to Darnell Mooney and 11 yards to Ray-Ray McCloud, the third three-TD game of the quarterback's debut season with Atlanta.
Asked what the 36-year-old Cousins brings to the team, McCloud didn't hesitate.
“Knowledge, poise, never letting us get complacent even when he’s not on his game,” the receiver said. “It’s just a blessing to have a vet like that. He's like having another coach on the field.”
Cousins envisioned this sort of potential in Atlanta when he signed a four-year, $180 million contract during free agency.
He's not ready to celebrate just yet, but it's clear that he's starting to feel something special building with a team that hasn't had a winning season since 2017 and struggled mightily to settle on a quarterback in the post-Matt Ryan era.
“There's a lot to look forward to in terms of the city and how we can all come together,” Cousins said. “You do one week at a time to get there and kind of see where you stand in February.”
Tyler Allgeier capped the Falcons' fifth win in six games by powering into the end zone from 6 yards with just over 11 minutes remaining.
The Cowboys (3-5) tried to rally behind Cooper Rush after Prescott was ruled out, having completed 18 of 24 for 133 yards and a touchdown.
Rush guided an 86-yard drive in the closing minutes, capped by a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Tolbert and a 2-point conversion. But the Falcons recovered an onside kick to seal the victory.
It's the longest losing streak for Dallas since a four-game skid during the 2020 season, which is also the most recent time the Cowboys finished with a losing record (6-10). They have already matched their loss total from each of the past three seasons.
Coach Mike McCarthy figures to be under even more heat after this performance, which included a fake punt that didn't have a chance, a fourth-down sweep by receiver CeeDee Lamb that was thrown for a 3-yard loss, and botched coverage in which three defensive backs got tangled up with each other and left Mooney all alone for his touchdown catch.
For good measure, the Dallas offensive line surrendered three sacks to a team that came into the game with an NFL-worst six sacks through the first eight weeks.
“We have five losses and so we clearly understand where that puts us as far as what it will take," McCarthy said. "We’ve got to get to winning.”
As if they didn’t have enough problems, the Cowboys now have to worry about Prescott's health. He's planning to get an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the damage to his hamstring.
“It's something I’ve never felt,” Prescott said. “I saw the medical team and asked could I make it worse. At that point they said I wouldn’t be able to protect myself and made the call to hold me out.”
Atlanta lost its top receiver in the opening quarter when London landed hard on his right hip after hauling in the scoring pass from Cousins.
Mooney and McCloud stepped up to fill the void. Mooney had five catches for 88 yards, while McCloud hauled in his first TD of the season to make it 21-10 early in the third quarter.
“Everybody in our room is ready when their number is called," McCloud said.
Bijan Robinson had another big day for the Falcons, carrying 19 times for 86 yards and hauling in a team-high seven receptions for 59 yards.
Ellis keys Falcons defense
Kaeden Ellis wasn't everywhere on the field.
It only seemed that way.
The Falcons linebacker had a team-high 13 tackles, including a sack and the stop in the backfield on Lamb that stymied the Cowboys on fourth down.
For his efforts, Ellis received a game ball from coach Raheem Morris.
“At the end of the day, you want to go out there and help the team win," Ellis said. “Raheem always says stats are for losers, so I think what’s important is going out there and helping this team and getting a win for this city.”
Injury report
Cowboys: S Juanyeh Thomas hobbled to the locker room to be checked for a possible concussion. ... LT Tyler Guyton left with a neck injury but was cleared to return.
Falcons: DL Grady Jarrett left the game with an Achilles strain. ... LB Troy Andersen (knee) missed his fifth straight game, while C Drew Dalman (ankle) has now missed six games in a row.
Up next
Cowboys: Return home next Sunday to host the Philadelphia Eagles in an NFC East showdown.
Falcons: Travel to New Orleans next Sunday to face the Saints. Atlanta won the first meeting between the NFC South rivals, 26-24 on Sept. 29.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Paul Newberry, The Associated Press
