Falcons 39, Cowboys 28: Atlanta moves to 3-0 with dominant second half

No Tony Romo, no Dez Bryant, and a hobbled Jason Witten.

It seemed like a recipe for an easy Falcons win, right?

Well, it didn't start that way, but Atlanta got it together and finished strong.

Let's take a look:

First Quarter

From the first drive of the game, the Cowboys made it clear what they intended to do on offense: run the ball. And they were successful in doing so in the first half.

Dallas took just three plays to put the first points on the board: a 37-yard rushing score by Joseph Randle. He had a 28-yard scamper to open the game, and Robert Alford was flagged for grabbing Terrance Williams' facemask on the second play. The drive lasted just 1:08.

The Cowboys forced the Falcons to go three and out and put together another scoring drive. This time, the drive lasted a bit longer: eight plays for 77 yards and another rushing touchdown — this time, a one-yarder —  from Randle.

Down 14-0, the Falcons finally got on the board with an 11-play, 80-yard drive. Devonta Freeman scored from three yards out.

At the end of one: Cowboys 14, Falcons 7.

Second Quarter

Randle had his fun, and now it Darren McFadden's turn to shine.

After the Falcons failed to do anything with their first possession, the Cowboys scored again on a drive that heavily featured McFadden. He punched it in from two yards out, giving Dallas its third touchdown on four possessions.

Down 21-7, and having just gone three and out again on offense, the Falcons needed help from their defense.

William Moore answered the call and intercepted Weeeden to set Atlanta up at the Dallas 34.

The Falcons cashed in with Freeman getting his second touchdown on a two-yard score.

But Dallas came back with another touchdown: Randle again, giving him three on the day. Prior to today, the running back had five total touchdowns in his career.

Atlanta did get a 32-yard Matt Bryant field goal before the half to make it a 28-17 game.

The two teams combined for 474 yards of offense in the first half.

Third Quarter

The second half would tell a very different tale.

While Atlanta could do nothing in the opening drive, they prevented Dallas, with a short field, from putting up any points. That stop set the tone for the rest of the game.

After being held to three catches for 27 yards in the first half, Julio Jones scored on a 45-yard pass from Matt Ryan on the offense's second drive. Levine Toilolo caught the two-point conversion and the Falcons were down 28-25.

It was a different third quarter than we've expected from Atlanta.

At the end of three: Cowboys 28, Falcons 25.

Fourth Quarter

Much like the third quarter, the final quarter was all Atlanta.

Freeman got his own hat trick, finishing an 11-play, 89-yard drive with a seven-yard touchdown that took 6:44 off the clock.

On the Cowboys' next drive, Vic Beasley gets his second sack of the season, sacking Brandon Weeden on third down and forcing a Cowboys three and out.

Atlanta cleaned up from their, putting together another punishing drive. This one would go for 62 yards in 11 plays and last 6:14. Jones scored again on a two-yard reception.

The Falcons rattled off 25 unanswered points and didn't allow a single score in the second half.

What a win for this team. Tell us how you feel — gifs are encouraged!