Divisional Round: Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons (Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium), with a Conference Championship spot at stake. Kickoff: Sun January 4, 1981 at 4:00pm. Winner advances to the Conference Championship. The losing team's season is over.[1][2]
The divisional round is where the bracket is supposed to take its real shape. Dallas Cowboys traveling to Atlanta Falcons at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, with the league watching to see whether the better team or the better matchup wins. Bye-week home favorites carry the weight of expectation; the visiting wild-card winner walks in with no one expecting them and nothing to lose.
The bracket has narrowed to the teams that survived the regular season. Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons are two of them; the rest of the league is in scouting mode for the offseason. What happens in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium shifts the rest of the tree: a road favorite winning rearranges seeding expectations; a home upset shows the bracket math underweights heart.
Dallas Cowboys versus Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Dallas Cowboys-Atlanta Falcons cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns | 11-5 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 11-5 | W3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9-7 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 6-10 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 11-5 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 10-6 | W2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 8-8 | L1 |
| Baltimore Colts | 7-9 | L3 |
| New York Jets | 4-12 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Oakland Raiders | 11-5 | W2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 11-5 | W2 |
| Denver Broncos | 8-8 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 8-8 | W1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 4-12 | L9 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 12-4 | L1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 11-5 | W2 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 6-10 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 1-15 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | 9-7 | W2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 9-7 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 7-9 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 5-10-1 | L4 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-10-1 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 12-4 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 12-4 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 6-10 | W3 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 5-11 | L2 |
| New York Giants | 4-12 | L2 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Falcons | Tim Mazzetti 38 yard field goal | 0-3 |
| Falcons | Alfred Jenkins 60 yard pass from Steve Bartkowski (Tim Mazzetti kick) | 0-10 |
| Cowboys | Rafael Septien 38 yard field goal | 3-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Billy Joe DuPree 5 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septien kick) | 10-10 |
| Falcons | Lynn Cain 1 yard rush (Tim Mazzetti kick) | 10-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Falcons | William Andrews 12 yard pass from Steve Bartkowski (Tim Mazzetti kick) | 10-24 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Robert Newhouse 1 yard rush (Rafael Septien kick) | 17-24 |
| Falcons | Tim Mazzetti 34 yard field goal | 17-27 |
| Cowboys | Drew Pearson 14 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septien kick) | 24-27 |
| Cowboys | Drew Pearson 23 yard pass from Danny White | 30-27 |
Dallas Cowboys defeated Atlanta Falcons 30-27 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in the Divisional Round. The final scoring play was Cowboys: Drew Pearson 23 yard pass from Danny White. The result came down to the final possession; Dallas Cowboys won by 3. Top line of the day: Danny White: 322 pass yards on 25-of-39, 3 TD, 1 INT. Dallas Cowboys move on to the conference final.[1][2]
Dallas Cowboys walked out of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium as the team that survived a Divisional Round Atlanta Falcons will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 30-27. The game stayed within 3 points throughout, the kind of contest where every drive felt like a referendum and every defensive stop carried twice its usual weight. The final scoring play came from Cowboys: Drew Pearson 23 yard pass from Danny White. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Dallas Cowboys move on to a conference championship.
Dallas Cowboys 30, Atlanta Falcons 27.
Round: Divisional Round.
Q1: 3 scoring plays.
Q2: 2 scoring plays.
Q3: 1 scoring play.
Q4: 4 scoring plays.
Top performers:
- Danny White: 322 pass yards on 25-of-39, 3 TD, 1 INT
- Tony Dorsett: 51 rush yards on 10 carries
- Alfred Jenkins: 4 catches for 155 yards
Divisional Round, played at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Final: Dallas Cowboys 30, Atlanta Falcons 27, with Dallas Cowboys taking the result by 3.
First quarter
- Falcons: Tim Mazzetti 38 yard field goal
- Falcons: Alfred Jenkins 60 yard pass from Steve Bartkowski (Tim Mazzetti kick)
- Cowboys: Rafael Septien 38 yard field goal
Second quarter
- Cowboys: Billy Joe DuPree 5 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septien kick)
- Falcons: Lynn Cain 1 yard rush (Tim Mazzetti kick)
Third quarter
- Falcons: William Andrews 12 yard pass from Steve Bartkowski (Tim Mazzetti kick)
Fourth quarter
- Cowboys: Robert Newhouse 1 yard rush (Rafael Septien kick)
- Falcons: Tim Mazzetti 34 yard field goal
- Cowboys: Drew Pearson 14 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septien kick)
- Cowboys: Drew Pearson 23 yard pass from Danny White
Top performers
- Danny White: 322 pass yards on 25-of-39, 3 TD, 1 INT
- Tony Dorsett: 51 rush yards on 10 carries
- Alfred Jenkins: 4 catches for 155 yards
A 3-point margin in Divisional Round is the kind of result that defines reputations on both sidelines.
| Cowboys | Falcons | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 22 | 18 |
| Total Yards | 422 | 371 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 25/40 | 18/33 |
| Pass yards | 322 | 320 |
| Pass TD | 3 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 1 | 4 |
| Sack yards lost | 12 | 35 |
| Net pass yards | 310 | 285 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 24 | 27 |
| Rush yards | 112 | 86 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 4 | 1 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 1 |
| Penalties | 6 | 4 |
| Penalty yards | 72 | 48 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL | |||||
| Danny White | 25/39 | 322 | 3 | 1 | 104.9 |
| Ron Springs | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 |
| ATL | |||||
| Steve Bartkowski | 18/33 | 320 | 2 | 1 | 95.5 |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL | ||||
| Tony Dorsett | 10 | 51 | 0 | 9 |
| Robert Newhouse | 6 | 31 | 1 | 18 |
| Preston Pearson | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Drew Pearson | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Billy Joe DuPree | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Timmy Newsome | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Danny White | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| ATL | ||||
| Lynn Cain | 13 | 43 | 1 | 11 |
| William Andrews | 14 | 43 | 0 | 12 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL | ||||
| Drew Pearson | 5 | 90 | 2 | 23 |
| Tony Hill | 4 | 53 | 0 | 21 |
| Preston Pearson | 4 | 51 | 0 | 34 |
| Tony Dorsett | 5 | 40 | 0 | 13 |
| Ron Springs | 3 | 39 | 0 | 26 |
| Billy Joe DuPree | 3 | 29 | 1 | 19 |
| Butch Johnson | 1 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| ATL | ||||
| Alfred Jenkins | 4 | 155 | 1 | 60 |
| Wallace Francis | 6 | 66 | 0 | 18 |
| Junior Miller | 3 | 48 | 0 | 26 |
| Lynn Cain | 2 | 20 | 0 | 14 |
| William Andrews | 2 | 19 | 1 | 12 |
| Alfred Jackson | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
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