All they needed was a defensive stop, to get the ball back for the offense which had driven 78 yards in 2:28 to cut the Falcons lead to 3. They had three chances to stop the Falcons and get the ball back with enough time to get a field goal. On all three times, either Orlando Scandrick was erring humanly or Falcons runningback Jacquizz Rodgers was converting to extend the Falcons drive and vaporize precious clock for Dallas.

The Cowboys got the ball back after a Matt Bryant field goal to put Atlanta up 19-13. But there was only 18 seconds left for Romo and the offense. That’s like presenting a landlord with rent due after being evicted.

Julio Jones speeds away from Cowboys safety Gerald Sensabaugh.

Dallas falls to 3-5 on the season. While the Giants lost to Pittsburgh today, New York sits in first place at 6-3. The Redskins failed to defeat Carolina, and fall to 3-6. Philadelphia’s Week 9 fate will be decided tomorrow against New Orleans.

In order to beat an undefeated team of 7 or more wins, one must take command early. That’s what Dallas did on its first possession of the game, which was nicely set up with a 37-yard punt return from Dwayne Harris. However, the Atlanta defense held like the Rock of Gibraltar at their own 5 when a Romo pass to Cole Beasley fell incomplete. A 23-yard Dan Bailey field goal put the Cowboys up 3-0.

On the ensuing drive, Matt Ryan led the Falcons on a 61-yard drive to the Dallas 19 where Matt Bryant hooked a 37-yard field goal wide right. Things looked optimistic for Dallas especially after Romo led the Cowboys to the Atlanta 14 for another Dan Bailey chip shot field goal to put Dallas up 6-0.

That’s where the optimism ended.

The Falcons started off the 2nd quarter with a successful Matt Bryant field goal to put them down 6-3. Romo got lucky on the following possession as one of his passes to Witten was picked off, but thankfully there was a defensive foul. Then, Asante Samuel let an interception in the end zone slip through his fingers. The Cowboys drive stalled at the Atlanta 36, where Jason Garrett elected to kick a 54-yard field goal that went wide left.

DeMarcus Ware earned 1.5 sacks tonight. His full sack forced a fumble, but Josh Brent watched the ball, presuming it had some mucous on it, roll back to the line of scrimmage where Roddy White retained Falcon possession. Then, when the drive stalled at the Cowboys 36, Mike Smith taught Garrett a lesson and punted the football to the Dallas 3 rather than sending Matt Bryant out for a 54-yard field goal.

The Falcons got a field goal before halftime, and then the Cowboys opened up the 3rd quarter with four straight runs, one of which featured an 18-yarder where rookie Lance Dunbar bowled over Kevin Ogletree. The drive stalled as Romo overthrew Austin on a cornerback blitz and then threw it too short to Austin who wasn’t able to convert.

The Falcons missed another field goal, but they opened the 4th quarter with a bang as Michael Turner bounced and pounded his way for a 3-yard score to put the Falcons up 13-6. After Dallas went 3-and-out, the Falcons drove 62 yards on their next possession to put 3 more points on the scoreboard and make it a two-score game.

Romo took the challenge and led the Cowboys 78 yards in only 6 plays. He went 6/6 for the Cowboys’ entire yards, which culminated in a 21-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Ogletree. Romo’s scrambling antics on that play were impressive and reminiscent of Captain Comeback.

Romo evades a Falcons rusher like a moonshiner with an IRS agent.

But there would be no comeback, because Orlando Scandrick couldn’t wrap up Jacquizz Rodgers on 3rd and 6 on the next drive. Then, he held Roddy White on 3rd and 8 at the Dallas 43 to help Atlanta convert. Then, Jacquizz Rodgers converted a 3rd and 5 by psyching out Danny McCray worse than a Tim Hardaway crossover.

All the Cowboys needed was one stop. They had 5:21 on the clock. They had Atlanta backed up at their own 10 at one point. Yet, Matt Ryan led the Falcons 64 yards to kick a back-breaking 32-yard field goal.

The Cowboys’ final possession was once again high comedy for haters and melodrama for fans. On the Hail Mary attempt, when the Falcons rushed only three, Romo still had to scramble around to get a good pass attempt off, which went to Felix Jones in the deep flats. Jones took it to the Atlanta 21 where he was wrapped up by four Falcons defenders. There was no one to whom Jones could lateral the ball. The Stanford band could have stayed in the end zone with no worries.

These Millennial Cowboys are noted most for their accomplishments as individuals, since their accomplishments as a team are barely better than those of the Kansas City Chiefs. Jason Witten’s 7 receptions for 51 yards put him past Michael Irvin’s 750 catches to take command of Dallas’ all-time receptions at 754.

Where the 2012 Cowboys go from here is a hard road. They travel to Philadelphia next week, and Andy Reid, even in his most despondent states, always has his Eagles ready to thump Dallas. After that, the Cowboys host the Browns. If the Cowboys win their next two games, they’ll be .500 before a Thanksgiving showdown with the Redskins.

Oct 28, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (82) runs after a catch in the third quarter against the New York Giants at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

25. The last time the Dallas Cowboys played on November 4th was on the road in an NBC telecast in 2007 against the Eagles. The Cowboys won 38-17.

24. The last time Al Michaels called a match between the Cowboys and Falcons was Week 2 of 1999, when the Cowboys beat the Falcons 24-7.

23. The last time Cris Collinsworth called a match between the Cowboys and Falcons was in Week 15 of 2006 when the Cowboys won 38-28.

22. The Cowboys have a 7-8 record on NBC telecasts since 2008:
2008: @Packers – W, @Redskins – W, Giants – W
2009: Giants – L, @Eagles – W, @Redskins – W, Eagles (playoffs) – W
2010: @Redskins – L, @Packers – L, Eagles – L
2011: @Jets – L, @Eagles – L, Giants – L, @Giants – L
2012: @Giants – W

21. The Falcons have a 2-2 record in NBC telecasts since 2008:
2008: @Cardinals (playoffs) – L
2009: @Bears – W
2011: Eagles – W, Packers – W

20. The last time the Cowboys lost to the Falcons in Atlanta was on 11/11/01, 10 years, 51 weeks to the day of this encounter.

19. The longest stretch of these two clubs not playing each other in the regular season was 1976 to 1985, while their longest stretch of playing one another was from 1985 to 1993.

18. This is the third time the Cowboys and Falcons will square off before a presidential election. While the Cowboys won both contests, the Republicans and Democrats took one game each.

17. This is only the fifth time the Cowboys have played in November against the Falcons. They are 1-3 when playing the Falcons in November.

16.The Falcons are one of four teams to have never beaten the Cowboys in a postseason encounter (min. 2 attempts). The other teams are the Buccaneers, Bears, and Bills.

15. The Falcons came into the league in 1966, which was the same year the expansion Cowboys played in their first NFL Title Game.

14. Matt Ryan is the first Falcons quarterback since Chris Miller (’88-’89) to start in consecutive encounters against the Cowboys.

13. Tony Romo is the fourth quarterback in Cowboys history to have 3 consecutive starts against the Falcons (Staubach, White, Aikman)

12. Along with the Cowboys, the other teams Matt Ryan hasn’t beat are the Patriots, Giants, Steelers, and Texans.

October 28, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) rolls out against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. The Falcons defeated the Eagles 30-17. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-US PRESSWIRE

11. Matt Ryan will be facing Dallas for the second time in his career. Here’s how other distinguished non-divisional quarterbacks have fared after having lost their first match against Dallas:

Fran Tarkenton – L
Bob Griese – W
Terry Bradshaw – W
Dan Fouts – L
Warren Moon – W
Jim Kelly – W
Brett Favre- L
Drew Bledsoe – W
Kurt Warner – W
Drew Brees – W
Aaron Rodgers – W

10. Tony Romo has a 2-0 record against the Falcons (2006, 2009).

9. The Atlanta Falcons join the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and Green Bay Packers as the only NFC #1 seeds to have lost in the first round since the playoffs were re-formatted in 1990.

8. Jason Garrett is the eighth head coach in Cowboys history. The eighth head coach in Falcons history was Jim Hanifan, who was also an interim head coach as replaced Marion Campbell for the 1989 season.

7. The Falcons need just two more wins this season to have put together 5 consecutive winning seasons. That’s quite a feat considering they never had consecutive winning seasons past 2007.

6. Mike Smith joins John Harbaugh, Vince Lombardi, Mike Holmgren, George Seifert, George Allen, Don Shula, Jerry Burns, Mike Tomlin, and Bill Cowher as the only head coaches to have 4 consecutive winning seasons at their first head coaching job. What’s impressive about that feat is who’s not on the list (Landry, Noll, etc.)

5. Nick Eatman and Todd Archer wrote articles how the Cowboys have been undefeated team killers since 1991. That’s true, but here’s two factors that they didn’t mention:

A. The Cowboys had winning records at the time (’91: 6-5; ’06: 5-4; ’09: 8-5) compared to their 3-4 record.
B. The Cowboys were near even in the turnover battle (’91: -2; ’06: +4; ’09: -1) compared to their -11 margin.

4. The Dallas Cowboys are 3-2 in the Georgia Dome and had a 3-3 record at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, the Falcons’ home from ’66 to ’91. The Cowboys played two separate postseason games at those respective venues: the 1980 divisional playoffs against Atlanta at Fulton County Stadium, and Super Bowl XXVIII against Buffalo in the Georgia Dome.

3. In the Falcons’ inaugural season in the Georgia Dome in 1992, the Cowboys defeated them 41-17. In the Cowboys’ inaugural season in Cowboys Stadium in 2009, the Cowboys defeated the Falcons 37-21.

2. When Romo lost the 2007 divisional playoffs, the media went tulipomaniacal over his 0-2 record. However, Matt Ryan has a free pass with his 0-3 record. Only Peyton Manning and Steve Grogan had an 0-3 record after their first three playoff games.

1. The Cowboys have never played the Falcons and 49ers as same place division finishers since the 2002 realignment.

Bonus: The Cowboys are 4-4 on 11/4 with 6 of their 8 contests having been played on the road. Here’s the results broken down by moon phase: New Moon — 1-0, First Quarter — 1-1, Full Moon — 2-2, Last Quarter — 0-1.

Week 17 was a microcosm of the Cowboys season. In Week 16, the Cowboys lost Troy Aikman for the rest of the season five plays into the contest in Philadelphia. It seemed hopeless, but the Cowboys could easily make the playoffs if they could find a way to beat the 4-11 Atlanta Falcons on the road.

The Dallas Cowboys had beaten the Chargers, Buccaneers, Rams, and Cardinals that season, and neither team had won more than 6 games in 1990. Though the Falcons had won their Week 16 encounter with the Los Angeles Rams, they had lost 7 of their last 8 contests and had only scored a little over 15 points on average. If the Cowboys could just score 17 points, they had a good shot to win the game and get into the playoffs.

Unfortunately, Troy Aikman wouldn’t lead the Cowboys offense. Instead, the Cowboys would have to rely on the beard of Babe Laufenberg to get them into the playoffs. At this point in the future CBS 11 sportscaster’s career, he had only been a backup in New Orleans, San Diego, and Dallas. He had only played 6 games in his career with San Diego in 1988, where he threw 4 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. The best game of his career came in1988 when he went 13 for 25 for 167 yards and 2 touchdowns in Arrowhead Stadium. Laufenberg also led the Chargers down 23-14 to beat the Chiefs 24-23.

Realistically, all Babe had to do was be a bus driver in this contest in Atlanta. Excluding the loss to Philadelphia, rookie Emmitt Smith was gaining over 4 yards a carry in his last four games. Third-year receiver Michael Irvin, veteran Kelvin Martin, and Plan B free agency find Jay Novacek gave Laufenberg safe targets down field. If the Cowboys could win the turnover differential, chiefly by taking care of the football, there was a good chance the Cowboys could clinch their first playoff berth since 1985.

Troy Aikman, Jimmy Johnson, and Babe Laufenberg try to concoct one last victory to make the playoffs in Atlanta.

Atlanta was 4-11, and Jerry Glanville remarked he inherited a flat tire with the 1990 Falcons. After all, he had taken the Oilers to three straight playoff berths. Now, he was coaching against a club on Sunday, December 30th that was on the precipice of making its own playoff berth. Glanville was quite a character. His personality and phenotype was quite Southern, even though he was an Ohio boy and matriculated at the campus of North Michigan. He told his players in the locker room before the game at Fulton County Stadium that the Cowboys thought they had their playoff ticket punched; there was champagne in the locker room. Glanville asked his players if they were going to let Dallas get away with that. Of course, there was no champagne or confetti in the Cowboys locker room, only 52 players and one very unprepared quarterback.

The first quarter yielded no points for either club. The Falcons pulled ahead 7-0 to go into halftime when Tracy Johnson, a Glanville runningback from the Oilers, scored a 1-yard touchdown. Going into halftime down 7-0 on the road is never really a problem, but giving up the opening kickoff to commence the second half is. Dallas kicker Ken Willis kicked it short to the Falcons 24, and then Keith Jones took it all the way back for an additional 7 points after the successful extra point.

There was still plenty of time to get back into the ball game and pull it out. After all, Babe led a comeback on the road in Arrowhead Stadium. He even got sacked for a safety in that contest. Well, Babe would get sacked for a safety here in Fulton County Stadium, but it didn’t prompt a Cowboys comeback. After the safety, Falcons kicker Greg Davis drilled a 23-yarder to put the Falcons up 19-0 in the 4th quarter.

Pulling out a comeback and going to the playoffs seemed insurmountable.

After the Greg Davis field goal and down by three scores, Babe threw a pick to future Cowboy cornerback Deion Sanders, and Primetime took the 61-yard interception all the way back for a touchdown to make the score 26-0 Falcons.

Now, pulling out a comeback and going to the playoffs was insurmountable.

Thankfully, the Cowboys were able to get a score before the final whistle. Babe Laufenberg threw a 27-yard pass to tight end Jay Novacek to prevent a Cowboys shutout. Now, their streak of games without being shutout was 18 after having been shutout thrice in 1989.

Even though the Cowboys pulled a stunt only rivaled by their Week 17 performance in Philadelphia in 2008, there was still a chance they could make the playoffs. The NFC was so porous in 1990 that a 7-9 team would make the playoffs as a wild card. If the Saints lost to the Rams at home on Monday Night Football, then the Cowboys would hold the tiebreaker, even though they were 7-9, and then would go on to play the Chicago Bears in the wild card playoffs. Yet Jimmy Johnson was very pragmatic in his postgame press conference. He said it was over and the Saints could get read to play the Bears. Jim Mora’s Saints must have listened to Johnson too closely, because it took a Morton Andersen field goal to send New Orleans to their second playoff berth in franchise history.

Here’s the real slap in the face, and something that I know would prompt a lot of mewling from fans had it happened within the last five years: Steve Walsh led the Saints to the playoffs. I’m sure Jerry Jones is somehow to blame for that. But think about it. The quarterback the Cowboys traded away so they could stand by their gimpy $11 million dollar quarterback was now in the playoffs, while the Cowboys had to wait another year to go somewhere they hadn’t been since 1985. If that happened today, the Turkey Neck and the rest of the Legion of Doom on KESN would make that the story line heading into 1991.

Here’s what I don’t get: how did Babe Laufenberg parlay that god awful performance in Atlanta into a sports broadcasting career in the city he let down? I can see San Diego maybe saying he can come do sports at their stations. They had bad teams. But here the Cowboys were one win away from the playoffs and he surrendered 9 points singlehandedly. Then, he turns that into a sportscasting career in Dallas. I guess Bob Dylan’s line about “the loser now will be later to win” is true after all.

Hopefully, Tony Romo doesn’t pull a Babe Laufenberg this Sunday in Atlanta. He’d be lucky to own a used car dealership the way public opinion has swayed against him with the dismal season he’s having.