Photo Gallery: Feats vs. the Falcons

Oct. 2, 1966 – In the Cowboys' first game ever played against the expansion Falcons, Hall of Fame linebacker Chuck Howley scooped up a fumble at his own 3-yard line and rumbled 97 yards for the touchdown, the second longest fumble return in team history. Dallas won the game, 47-14.

Nov. 6, 1967 – Led by Dan Reeves, the Cowboys rolled to a 37-7 win over Atlanta. The running back scored four times in the game with two touchdowns coming through the air and two on the ground. He became the first in club history to record four touchdowns and total 24 points in a game, both of which are still records.

Oct. 11, 1970 – Playing in a heavy downpour, the Cowboys completed only four passes against the Falcons – one of which was thrown by running back Calvin Hill – which is still the fewest in team history. But Bob Lilly and the Dallas defense kept Atlanta out of the end zone, as the Cowboys won, 13-0.

Jan. 4, 1981 – Down 27-17 late in the fourth quarter, Danny White led the Cowboys on one of the greatest rallies in the team's playoff history. He found Drew Pearson on a 14-yard touchdown pass to pull to within three, and then in the final seconds went back to Pearson for the 23-yard game-winning touchdown.

Sept. 17, 1989 – The Cowboys debuted their No. 1 draft pick, Troy Aikman, the week before, but the team failed to score against the Saints. So the future Hall of Famer had to wait until Week 2 at Atlanta to record his first touchdown pass. His 65-yard bomb to Michael Irvin would open the game's scoring, although Dallas would go on to lose, 27-21.

July 22, 1991 – One of the better trades in Cowboys history came right before the start of training camp when the team sent second- and eighth-round picks in the 1992 draft to acquire defensive tackle Tony Casillas. He went on to help the Cowboys win back-to-back Super Bowls in 1992-93.

Dec. 22, 1991 – Alexander Wright closed out the first-quarter scoring of this matchup against the Falcons with a 102-yard kickoff return, which remains the longest in Cowboys history. Dallas would defeat Atlanta, 31-27.

Dec. 21, 1992 – This 41-17 victory over the Falcons secured the Cowboys their first NFC East title since 1985. Running back Emmitt Smith led the charge with 174 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Oct. 29, 1995 – The Cowboys made big news when they signed free agent Deion Sanders midway through the 1995 season. He then made his debut with his new team in a game against his old team, the Hall of Famer having spent his first five years in the NFL with Atlanta. He not only helped Dallas to a 28-13 win on this day but also was a key piece in the Cowboys' Super Bowl XXX victory that wrapped up the 1995 season.

Sept. 20, 1999 – Although there was under a minute remaining and the game was already in hand, defensive end Greg Ellis still made history. He corralled a Falcons pass and returned the interception 87 yards for a touchdown, the seventh longest in Cowboys record books. Dallas won the game, 24-7.

Sept. 7, 2003 – A fresh-faced rookie named Jason Witten hauled in one catch for 13 yards in the Cowboys' 27-13 loss to the Falcons. It would be the first of 1,215 receptions in his career with Dallas, a team record.

Dec. 16, 2006 – Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023, DeMarcus Ware's only career pick-6 came against Atlanta. He returned a first-quarter interception 41 yards to help the Cowboys to a 38-28 win, which also clinched the team a spot in the playoffs.

Sept. 13, 2015 – This seems an unlikely record, given the great quarterbacks who played in Dallas. But backup quarterback Brandon Weeden, filling in for an injured Tony Romo, completed his first eight passes in this 39-28 loss to Atlanta, which extended his streak of consecutive completions to 21, the longest in Cowboys history.

Sept. 20, 2020 – Down 20-0 after one quarter, the Cowboys rebounded over the final three frames to earn a dramatic 40-39 victory. Greg Zuerlein played the hero by kicking a 46-yard field goal as time expired, but quarterback Dak Prescott got them there with 450 passing yards and a touchdown toss, as well as a career-high three touchdown runs. The win tied for the fourth-biggest comeback in Cowboys history.

Nov. 14, 2021 – This time it would be Dallas jumping out to a big advantage, although the team would never relinquish the lead in a 43-3 win over Atlanta. The Cowboys' 29 points scored in the second quarter – 12 of which came via Ezekiel Elliott touchdown runs – are the most earned in the second frame in club history while the 38-point margin of victory is tied for the tenth largest.