ATLANTA _ Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones may have been exaggerating when he said before the game that he wouldn't trade quarterback Dak Prescott for two first-round picks.
Nevertheless, Prescott rewarded Jones' faith by leading the Cowboys to a 22-19 victory against the Atlanta Falcons while continuing to give life on what had been a lost season.
It was the second-straight victory for the Cowboys (5-5), who are back at .500 heading into Thursday's first-place NFC East showdown against the Washington Redskins (6-4), who lost 23-21 to the Houston Texans.
That a Cowboys team that was left for dead at 3-5 after a loss to the Tennessee Titans two weeks got a win in Atlanta, the place their season went off the rails a year ago, is playing for first place on Thanksgiving Day was not lost on a pleased Jerry Jones.
"It's all that much more reason to appreciate how this team has come together to be where we are right now," Jones said. "We've got a big one against as big a rival as there is in sports. We (the Cowboys and Redskins) don't always play for a title, but to some degree, we're playing for it out there Thanksgiving Day."
After the Falcons tied the game on a 34-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to Julio Jones with 1:52 left in the game, Prescott led the Cowboys 51 yards on 10 plays.
He completed passes of 5 yards to tight end Geoff Swaim, 10 yards to receiver Michael Gallup, 11 yards to running back Ezekiel Elliott and 19-yards to receiver Cole Beasley to set up the game winner.
Brett Maher kicked a 42-yard field goal as time expired, sending the Cowboys sideline into a frenzy and a mobbing of their first-year kicker.
"Of course, Dak doesn't blink," Jones said. "I can't imagine anybody feeling better to have this team in the hands of a third-year quarterback in the NFL and have him under center in a game situation like that. You couldn't feel any better if you're in my shoes, and I wouldn't trade it for anybody."
Prescott did what was asked of him. It wasn't pretty. He didn't throw any touchdown passes. But he also didn't have any turnovers. He rushed for a four-yard touchdown.
But most importantly he led the Cowboys into field goal range, setting up a 42-yard field goal by Maher to give the team a 22-19 victory.
He completed 22 of 32 passes for 208 yards in the game but none were bigger than the four clutch completions he had on the final drive.
"Obviously, it was a really good drive," coach Jason Garrett said. "They did a really good job on their drive coming down on that two-minute situation coming down from the fringe area and we had to respond with just under two minutes to go we had three timeouts and the score was tied. We worked those situations more than any situation there is in football. I think we did a really good job handling it. Made some big third-down conversion, (Prescott) made some big plays, the guys around him made some big plays, we got ourselves down to the field goal range, got a little bit closer and (Maher) did a great job coming down and drilling the kick."
It was the seventh fourth-quarter comeback of his career and 12th game-winning drive in the fourth quarter of his career.
"I want the ball in my hand," Prescott said. "Always have and always will. Anytime I get the opportunity to get that chance, that's the way I like it. To just go down there and everyone execute the way they did. Offensive line protecting, receivers getting open, as I said it's just a bi-product of what we do each and every week. I mean, it was a great drive."
