It is Day 75 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff. We are looking back at the 100 most iconic games in Dallas Cowboys history. The countdown will leads us right up to the opening game of 2026. Our look back doesn’t depend on just one criteria for our rankings. We take into consideration things like how big the game was for the organization, how memorable the game was, games that had unusual events take place, games that are a part of NFL lore, Cowboys firsts, and games where the Cowboys just plain
dominated. Variety is the spice of life and we have all different kind of Cowboys games to review. At the bottom, we’ll link each day of the countdown so you can go back and check out any you missed.
It’s Day 75 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff and we revisit one of the most ridiculous, chaotic, and unforgettable Cowboys games of the modern era. The Cowboys trailed 20-0 after the first quarter, 29-10 at halftime, and 39-24 with under five minutes to play. Yet somehow, in Mike McCarthy’s first home game as Dallas head coach, the Cowboys still found a way to beat the Falcons.
Sunday, September 20, 2020 — 1:00 p.m. ET
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 40, Atlanta Falcons 39
The start of the game could hardly have been worse. Dallas fumbled repeatedly in the first quarter, botched a fake punt, and gave Atlanta short fields over and over. Matt Ryan hit Calvin Ridley for a touchdown after a Prescott fumble, Ryan then found Hayden Hurst for another score after an Ezekiel Elliott fumble. Two Younghoe Koo field goals later, the Cowboys were staring at a 20-point deficit before the first quarter ended. This was a nightmare start.
Dallas finally settled down in the second quarter. Elliott powered in from one yard out for the Cowboys’ first touchdown, and Greg Zuerlein added a 33-yard field goal. But Atlanta kept answering, including another Ryan-to-Ridley touchdown and a late Koo field goal, sending the Falcons into halftime up 29-10. At that point, the comeback felt out of reach.
Dak Prescott changed that in the second half. He opened the third quarter with a rushing touchdown, then scored again on a quarterback sneak after a spectacular Amari Cooper catch helped set up Dallas near the goal line. Atlanta still pushed the lead back out, but the Cowboys kept coming. Prescott hit Dalton Schultz for a 10-yard touchdown, then later ran in his third rushing score of the game to cut the deficit to 39-37.
Then came the play that gave the game its name. Zuerlein lined up for an onside kick and rolled the ball sideways with no tee, letting it slowly spin across the turf like a weird little watermelon. The Watermelon Kick got its title. Atlanta’s players surrounded it but did not dive on it before it reached 10 yards. Once it crossed the line, C.J. Goodwin pounced at the Dallas 46-yard line, giving the Cowboys life with 1:49 remaining.
Prescott needed only one more key throw. He found rookie CeeDee Lamb for 24 yards to push Dallas into field-goal range, and Zuerlein finished the madness with a 46-yard kick and ended the game immediately. The Cowboys had their first win of the season, McCarthy had his first home win in Dallas, and the Falcons had somehow lost a game they had controlled almost all afternoon.
This game belongs on the countdown because it is impossible to explain without sounding like you are exaggerating. Four early turnovers, a 20-0 hole, a 15-point deficit with less than five minutes left, a never-before-seen onside watermelon kick, and a walk-off field goal. It was not clean football, but it was pure Cowboys chaos, the kind of game that instantly becomes shorthand for an entire era.
Interesting Facts About the Game
Dak Prescott became the first player in NFL history to throw for at least 400 yards and rush for three touchdowns in the same game.
Countdown To Kickoff by day:
100, 99, 98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 91, 90, 89, 88, 87, 86, 85, 84, 83, 82, 81, 80, 79, 78, 77, 76
