Dallas Cowboys hush the haters with bounce-back, 43-3, thrashing of Atlanta Falcons

ARLINGTON - Dallas Cowboys fans needed this one. After hearing from the haters all week, the Cowboys responded with an impressive 43-3 thrashing of the Atlanta Falcons in front of 93,436 fans.

The Cowboys dominated in all three phases of the game, sending the Falcons home with their tail feathers tucked between their legs and sending a loud message to the rest of the NFL. Here are four more observations from the game.

FIRST DOWN: These aren’t your typical Cowboys

Let’s face it; there were concerns among the Cowboys fan base whether this team was a real contender in the NFC or the typical Dallas team of recent memory.

Dallas needed to send a message against the Falcons, and they did just that. The Cowboys began the game with the intent of being the more physical team from the opening kickoff.

The Cowboys played with the attitude that separates contending teams from the pretending teams, which is not something we’ve seen from Dallas since the glory days of the 90s.

This team will cruise to the NFC East title this year, but that will not be enough this season. Dallas has the talent on both sides of the ball to compete with the elite teams in the NFL, and this year, they have the attitude the elite teams possess.

SECOND DOWN: One should not doubt this offense

The most disappointing phase of the game against the Broncos last week was the atrocious offensive performance for the first three quarters.

The Cowboys’ offense was not about to allow the Falcons defense to stop them on Sunday. Dallas scored a touchdown on its first three offensive drives of the game, and the team put 36 points on the board in the first half thanks to the Cowboys’ first blocked punt return for a touchdown since 2015.

How impressive was the first half for Dallas? According to ESPN Stats & Info, the 36 points are the most for the Dallas offense since Week six of the 1980 season when they scored 38 points against San Francisco. In addition, the Cowboys scored 29 points in the second quarter, setting a franchise record for most points scored in any quarter.

Ezekiel Elliott’s two rushing touchdowns Sunday gave the running back four career rushing touchdowns against the Falcons, which is tied for the most rushing touchdowns by Elliott against a non-NFC East opponent.

THIRD DOWN: Don’t forget about us

While the offense will receive the most praise following this game, the Dallas defense was impressive again, allowing the Falcons a mere three points and 77 total yards of offense in the first half. In addition, the defense added three interceptions in the second half, which is the most in a single game for Dallas since 2010.

The defense received bad news during the week with Randy Gregory injuring his calf during practice. As a result, the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator employed a 3-3-5 defense throughout the game, allowing the former Atlanta coach to get safety Jayron Kearse on the field.

Speaking of Kearse, the offseason free agent signing has been one of the main reasons for the improvement in the Dallas defense. The sixth-year Clemson product entered the game leading the Cowboys with 49 tackles and only needs two more to surpass his career mark for tackles in a single season.

If Kearse finishes the year as the team’s leading tackler, he would be the first safety to lead Dallas in tackles since Barry Church recorded 110 tackles in 2014.

FOURTH DOWN: Did you say Bob Hayes?

CeeDee Lamb entered elite Cowboys history on Sunday with a 13-yard touchdown reception on Dallas’ opening drive of the game.

Lamb joined Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, and Bob Hayes as the only Cowboys receivers with ten touchdown receptions in their first 25 career games.

Lamb’s explosiveness has been a difference-maker for the Cowboys offense, with the wide receiver entering today’s contest tied with Mike Evans of Tampa Bay and Kyle Pitts of the Atlanta Falcons in explosive plays this season with 11 catches for 20 or more yards.

The second-year player from Oklahoma added to his explosive play total on Sunday with a 33-yard reception on the second play of the game that got the offense humming and a huge 21-yard reception on fourth down at the end of the first quarter.

Lamb finished the game with six receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Dallas Cowboys 43, Atlanta Falcons 3 2021 NFL Week 10 score, analysis