NFL game summary for 11/21/1976:
Interceptions by Dewey McClain and Ray Brown plus a short Dallas punt were turned into 17 points within 4:44 of the fourth quarter to give the Falcons their first victory over the Cowboys in six meetings. Dallas took a 10-0 lead in the third quarter on a 23-yard field goal by Efren Herrera but Atlanta tied the game on a 35-yard run by Mike Esposito and got the go-ahead touchdown with 6:53 left on a one-yard run by Scott Hunter. Tommy Nobis intercepted a pass at the Falcons' 9 with 1:12 remaining to halt the final Cowboys' drive after they were stopped on downs on the previous series at the Atlanta 28.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 153.0 (12) | 218.4 (2) | 371.4 (3) | 17 |
| DEFENSE | 123.4 (6) | 135.4 (7) | 258.8 (4) | 20 | |
 | OFFENSE | 122.6 (25) | 103.0 (27) | 225.6 (27) | 31 |
| DEFENSE | 183.0 (25) | 116.3 (1) | 299.3 (14) | 30 |
Line: Cowboys by 12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys (9-2-0) | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Atlanta Falcons (4-7-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 17 |
( 7- 0) DAL Scott Laidlaw 16 yard rush (Efren Herrera kick)
(10- 0) DAL Efren Herrera 23 yard field goal
(10- 3) ATL Nick Mike-Mayer 21 yard field goal
(10-10) ATL Mike Esposito 35 yard rush (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)
(10-17) ATL Scott Hunter 1 yard rush (Nick Mike-Mayer kick)
DAL ATL
First Downs: 15 13
Rushes-yards: 36-182 43-141
Yards/rush: 5.1 3.3
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 13-28-157-3 8-20-99-1
Sacked-yards: 4-32 1-10
Net pass yards: 125 89
Net yards/pass: 3.9 4.2
Total net yards: 307 230
Total plays: 68 (52% run) 64 (67% run)
Yards/play: 4.5 3.6
Fumbles-lost: 1-1 1-1
Turnovers: 4 2
Penalties-yards: 8-70 4-39
Attendance: 54,992
Passing:
DAL: Roger Staubach, 13 of 28 for 157 yards (3 int) ATL: Scott Hunter, 8 of 20 for 99 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
DAL: Preston Pearson, 16 for 61 yards; Scott Laidlaw, 15 for 88 yards and 1 TD; Billy Joe DuPree, 2 for 16 yards; Robert Newhouse, 2 for 6 yards; Drew Pearson, 1 for 11 yards ATL: Sonny Collins, 15 for 17 yards; Mike Esposito, 13 for 82 yards and 1 TD; Haskel Stanback, 8 for 24 yards; Scott Hunter, 4 for 4 yards and 1 TD; Billy Pritchett, 2 for 8 yards; Bubba Bean, 1 for 6 yards
Receiving:
DAL: Preston Pearson, 4 for 47 yards; Scott Laidlaw, 4 for 39 yards; Billy Joe DuPree, 2 for 32 yards; Drew Pearson, 2 for 25 yards; Butch Johnson, 1 for 14 yards ATL: Alfred Jenkins, 3 for 60 yards; Mike Esposito, 3 for 19 yards; John Gilliam, 2 for 20 yards
Kick returns:
DAL: Butch Johnson, 3 for 73 yards; Jim Jensen, 1 for 18 yards ATL: Wallace Francis, 2 for 38 yards; Sonny Collins, 1 for 17 yards
Punt returns:
DAL: Butch Johnson, 3 for 32 yards ATL: Ron Mabra, 1 for 0 yards; Rolland Lawrence, 1 for -6 yards
Interceptions:
DAL: Cliff Harris, 1 for 29 yards ATL: Ray Brown, 1 for 21 yards; Dewey McClain, 1 for 13 yards; Tommy Nobis, 1 for 5 yards
Punting:
DAL: Danny White, 6 for 221 yards ATL: John James, 8 for 388 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Efren Herrera, 1/1 ATL: Nick Mike-Mayer, 1/1
DAL: Roger Staubach, 13 of 28 for 157 yards (3 int) ATL: Scott Hunter, 8 of 20 for 99 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
DAL: Preston Pearson, 16 for 61 yards; Scott Laidlaw, 15 for 88 yards and 1 TD; Billy Joe DuPree, 2 for 16 yards; Robert Newhouse, 2 for 6 yards; Drew Pearson, 1 for 11 yards ATL: Sonny Collins, 15 for 17 yards; Mike Esposito, 13 for 82 yards and 1 TD; Haskel Stanback, 8 for 24 yards; Scott Hunter, 4 for 4 yards and 1 TD; Billy Pritchett, 2 for 8 yards; Bubba Bean, 1 for 6 yards
Receiving:
DAL: Preston Pearson, 4 for 47 yards; Scott Laidlaw, 4 for 39 yards; Billy Joe DuPree, 2 for 32 yards; Drew Pearson, 2 for 25 yards; Butch Johnson, 1 for 14 yards ATL: Alfred Jenkins, 3 for 60 yards; Mike Esposito, 3 for 19 yards; John Gilliam, 2 for 20 yards
Kick returns:
DAL: Butch Johnson, 3 for 73 yards; Jim Jensen, 1 for 18 yards ATL: Wallace Francis, 2 for 38 yards; Sonny Collins, 1 for 17 yards
Punt returns:
DAL: Butch Johnson, 3 for 32 yards ATL: Ron Mabra, 1 for 0 yards; Rolland Lawrence, 1 for -6 yards
Interceptions:
DAL: Cliff Harris, 1 for 29 yards ATL: Ray Brown, 1 for 21 yards; Dewey McClain, 1 for 13 yards; Tommy Nobis, 1 for 5 yards
Punting:
DAL: Danny White, 6 for 221 yards ATL: John James, 8 for 388 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Efren Herrera, 1/1 ATL: Nick Mike-Mayer, 1/1