Falcons vs. Cowboys: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season

For a half, it looked as though the Dallas Cowboys could cope without both Tony Romo and Dez Bryant. But reality set in, and the Atlanta Falcons outscored the hosts 22-0 in the second half of a 39-28 victory Sunday.

If history is any indicator, then this could be a season to remember for Falcons fans, per ESPN Stats & Info:

As much as Romo's absence lingered throughout the game, the Cowboys simply had no answer for Devonta Freeman and Julio Jones.

Freeman finished the game with 141 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries.

An injury to Tevin Coleman forced the former Florida State Seminole to assume feature-back duties Sunday. Coleman started each of Atlanta's first two games, but that may not be the case going forward. Jay Adams of AtlantaFalcons.com believes Freeman silenced any doubters in this Week 3 victory:

For Jones, the game offered more proof of his dominance. He caught 12 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns, both of which were critical as Atlanta surged in the second half.

Deion Sanders was effusive in his praise of the 26-year-old:

Jones and Freeman made things easier for Matt Ryan, who was a bit sluggish to start the game but wound up with 285 yards and two touchdowns on 24-of-36 passing.

Brandon Weeden, on the other hand, was an impressive 22-of-26 through the air for 232 yards with one interception. It was about as well as anyone could've expected the backup quarterback to play under the circumstances.

NFL Memes encapsulated the feelings of Cowboys fans as the game went on:

For ESPN's SportsNation, Weeden remains a winner in life:

Blame for the defeat will likely fall on Joseph Randle, who was invisible after running for 91 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter. Without a steady ground game, the Cowboys offense was unable to move the ball against a suddenly dominant Falcons defense.

Weeden had the unenviable task of starting in place of Romo, who is out until at least Nov. 22 with a broken collarbone. The 31-year-old former first-round draft pick was a perfect 7-of-7 after filling in for Romo last week, but Cowboys fans were right to be apprehensive about him given how his NFL career has played out to date.

On Friday, Weeden discussed his mental approach as he neared his second start for Dallas.

"I'm not going to wake up and have the God-given abilities [Romo] does, and I mean that in a good way," he said, per Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. "I tell myself that every day, 'Don't run from that added pressure to play like him.' Everybody is going to compare me to him. It's normal. Is it fair? No. But I expect myself to go out and play well and put us in a position to be successful."

Any sort of nerves Weeden might have had were probably all but gone after he started Sunday 9-of-9. Including his work in three 2014 games, Weeden completed 21 passes in a row, which set a franchise record, per the team's Twitter account. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Donovan McNabb holds the overall mark, which is 24.

Weeden's first incompletion was a callback to his Cleveland Browns days, as he threw against his body while scrambling to his left and overshot Jason Witten. In turn, Falcons safety William Moore got one of the easier interceptions he'll earn in his NFL career.

The turnover had little bearing on the first half in large part because of Randle, who had three touchdowns on 10 carries through the opening two quarters.

Although the Falcons have shown some improvement against the run, Randle's 37-yard scamper a minute and eight seconds into the game looked more like Atlanta circa 2014, which was one of the worst run defenses in the league. The NFL Network passed along the highlight:

Randle doubled Dallas' lead to 14-0 with a one-yard touchdown run less than seven minutes later. For Maurice Jones-Drew—and many other fantasy football owners—the 23-year-old's success on the ground was only a source of frustration, per NFL Now:

Freeman got the Falcons on the board with three minutes remaining in the first quarter. Darren McFadden pushed the Cowboys' lead back to 21-7, but Weeden's pick led to Freeman's second touchdown. Randle soon added his third before a 32-yard field goal by Matt Bryant at the end of the half trimmed Dallas' lead to 28-17.

Midway through the third quarter, Ryan found Jones on a deep crossing pattern. The Pro Bowl wideout did the rest of the work, as he ran for the corner of the end zone on a 45-yard touchdown reception. The NFL passed along the highlight:

Atlanta attempted and converted a two-point try to make it just a three-point game, 28-25.

Then, a seven-yard touchdown run by Freeman completed the Falcons' comeback in the fourth quarter. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller said he loved Freeman's style:

The score capped a stunning turnaround after Dallas had thoroughly outplayed Atlanta for much of the first half. The Falcons adjusted well at halftime, closing gaps the Cowboys offensive line had opened in the first and second quarters. Rob Phillips of DallasCowboys.com summed up Dallas' downturn after halftime:

Ryan put the game out of reach when he found Jones for a two-yard touchdown with 3:04 remaining.

As if starting the year 3-0 wasn't enough reason for optimism among Falcons fans, the team's seemingly easy schedule over the next few weeks could keep that run going for some time. Upcoming games against the Houston Texans, Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints—possibly sans Drew Brees—Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are all winnable.

It's entirely possible Atlanta could be 8-0 through its first eight games, which would put the team in a great position to make the playoffs and even be a top seed.

For Cowboys fans, Sunday's game illustrated how much the offense missed its top two playmakers. Losing Bryant was bad enough, but losing both Bryant and Romo could be almost impossible to overcome.