Divisional Round, 1978: Dallas 27 Atlanta 20

Game information
After losing three fumbles and their starting quarterback due to injury in the first half, Dallas rallied back from a 7-point deficit with two touchdowns in the second half to secure the win.

Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach converted a 3rd and 16 with a 39-yard completion to Drew Pearson as he led the team 57 yards in 12 plays score on their opening drive with a 34-yard field goal by Rafael Septién. Atlanta responded by driving 78 yards in 8 plays to take a 7-3 lead with Bubba Bean's 14-yard touchdown run. On the first play of the next possession, Staubach completed an 18-yard pass to tight end Jackie Smith. Three plays later, punter/reserve quarterback Danny White kept the drive going with a 12-yard run on a fake punt, and Scott Laidlaw ran for a 21-yard gain on the next play. Laidlaw eventually finished the 10-play, 76 yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown run, giving Dallas a 10-7 lead.

Atlanta had to punt on their next drive, but Butch Johnson muffed the kick and Tom Moriarty recovered the ball for the Falcons on the Dallas 25-yard line. Three plays later, Tim Mazzetti kicked a 42-yard field goal to tie the game at 10 roughly a minute into the second quarter. Dallas responded by driving 46 yards in 10 plays to take a 13-10 lead with a 48-yard field goal from Septién. But Atlanta got a big break on the ensuing kickoff when a 15-yard personal foul penalty against Dallas turned Dennis Pearson's 36-yard return into a 51-yard gain and gave them the ball on the Cowboys 40-yard line. From there, Atlanta scored on a 7-play drive, the last one a 17-yard touchdown pass from Steve Bartkowski to Wallace Francis that gave the team a 17-13 lead. Dallas barely avoided disaster when they muffed the ensuing kickoff, managing to recover the ball in the end zone for a touchback. But on the next play, Tony Dorsett lost a fumble while being hit by Greg Brezina, and Falcons linebacker Dewey McClain recovered it on the Cowboys 30-yard line. The Dallas defense managed to keep Atlanta out of the end zone, but Mazzetti kicked a 22-yard field goal to give them a 20-13 lead with 50 seconds left in the half. Dallas then drove to the Falcons 35-yard line, but lost the ball on a fumbled snap in shotgun formation that was recovered by defensive back Tom Pridemore. To make matters worse for Dallas, Staubach was knocked out of the game on the drive due to a massive hit from linebacker Robert Pennywell, though they did manage to prevent Atlanta from scoring as a result of an interception by Randy Hughes.

Atlanta had to punt from deep in their territory on their opening drive of the second half, and Johnson returned it to the Falcons 49-yard line. Still, Dallas was unable to capitalize, as they lost their fourth turnover of the day, this time a pass from White that was intercepted by Rolland Lawrence. Still, Dallas quickly forced a punt and again achieved excellent field position as Johnson returned it 8 yards to their 46-yard line. Then White completed passes to Billy Joe Dupree and Laidlaw for gains of 24 and 15 yards as the team drove 54 yards in seven plays to tie the game, 20-20, on his 2-yard touchdown pass to Smith. Later on, Bartkowski threw a pass that was deflected by Cliff Harris and intercepted by defensive back Aaron Kyle, who returned it 15 yards to the Falcons 41-yard line.

On the next play, the last of the third quarter, Dupree took the ball on an end around play and ran for a 20-yard gain. Still, the Falcons defense managed to prevent a score, stopping the Cowboys over the next three plays before Septién missed a 31-yard field goal attempt. The next time Dallas got the ball, a bad Falcons punt gave them a first down on the Atlanta 30-yard line, where they drove to a 27-20 lead on Laidlaw's 1-yard touchdown run. The Cowboys defense then went on to dominate Atlanta for the rest of the game. After a punt from each team, Atlanta mounted a drive inside the Dallas 35-yard line, only to lose the ball when failing to convert a 4th and 1. The Falcons forced a punt and got one last chance to drive for a tying touchdown with 59 seconds and all three timeouts left. But Harris put an end to that prospect by intercepting a pass from Bartkowski and returning it 22 yards.

Laidlaw rushed for 66 yards and 2 touchdowns, while also catching a pass for 15. Dorsett rushed for 65 yards. Dupree caught 5 passes for 59 yards and rushed for 20. Bartkowski was held to just 8 of 23 completions for 95 yards, with 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions.

This was the first postseason meeting between the Falcons and Cowboys.

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