Cowboys defeat Falcons in the exhibition finale
ARLINGTON, Texas — In a battle of reserves, the Cowboys prevailed over the Falcons 31-13 on Friday at AT&T Stadium.
Both teams did not play most their starters and some of the key reserves in the game.
The Cowboys jumped out early and were never threatened in the contest.
The Falcons dropped to 0-3 in the exhibition season.
Now it’s time to cut the roster from 91 players to 53, by the league-mandated 4 p.m. deadline Tuesday.
“The toughest time of the year is upon us,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “We have to go back and sit down and make some real critical decisions. Obviously, some of the guys out there with their last-ditch efforts in order to get on the football team and be able to go out there and compete with us throughout the regular season.”
Cowboys quarterback Joe Milton completed 10 of 18 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. He finished with a 97.5 passer rating.
He also rushed four times for 33 yards. Will Grier came on to close the game for the Cowboys.
Running back Phil Mafah, who played at Grayson High and Clemson, added a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Falcons quarterback Easton Stick completed 20 of 28 passes for 198 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He finished with a passer rating of 88.1.
Ben DiNucci came in and promptly tossed an interception.
Linebacker Josh Woods made a big hit on special teams.
“I absolutely take pride in special teams,” Woods said. “Unsung heroes of the game. That’s what has kept me in this league for eight years, and it’s going to keep me in this league for a very long time.”
Also, running back Elijah Dotson rushed 12 times for 74 yards, including a 41-yard gain.
“Dotson came in and got a couple big runs there in the second half to really spark us and get some things going,” Morris said.
With Milton leaning heavily on the rushing attack, the Cowboys held a 17-10 halftime lead.
Kicker Brandon Aubrey added a 64-yard field goal at the second-quarter buzzer to go with two rushing touchdowns in the first quarter.
The Cowboys jumped to a 14-0 lead, scoring on their first two possessions after Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo missed a 51-yard field-goal attempt (wide left) on their opening possession.
Milton scored on a 1-yard run, and after a Falcons’ three-and-out, he directed an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. Running back Jaydon Blue scored from a yard out. He would later leave the game with a knee/ankle injury.
The Falcons added a 38-yard field goal with 10:45 left in the second quarter.
The Falcons stopped the Cowboys on their next two possessions and finally got moving on offense with 2:19 left in the second quarter. Stick tossed a 23-yard touchdown pass to tight end Feleipe Franks with 48 seconds to play in the first half. The Cowboys got in position for Aubrey’s big kick.
On the Cowboys’ opening drive of the third quarter, Milton tossed a 29-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Brooks with Falcons rookie Cobee Bryant in coverage.
Koo made a 29-yard field goal to make the score 24-13 with 14:10 to play in the game.
“It was a good training camp,” Koo said. “Everybody put the work in. Good practices. Good games. A lot of guys competition-wise made it hard for the guys who have to make the decisions, which is always a good thing. Competition always makes everybody better.”
Koo also discussed his missed field-goal attempt.
“It’s something that I wanted to iron out,” Koo said. “I know that nobody cares. But for me, I got a lot of good out of that. It’s not like that kick deters me from moving forward. I really got something out of it. I’m really fully confident going into the next one.”
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
