IRVING, Texas (Ticker) -- Dan Reeves is not so helpless without Michael Vick. Just ask Bill Parcells.
After a lackluster first half, Doug Johnson passed for two touchdowns and ran for another score to lead the Atlanta Falcons to a 27-13 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, spoiling Parcells' coaching debut with the Cowboys.
Parcells did not have to worry about devising a defensive game plan to stop Vick, the NFL's fastest quarterback who will miss the first month of the season with a fractured right fibula.
But Johnson was good enough to beat the Cowboys. Making his fourth career start, Johnson completed 16-of-27 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. He also scored on a one-yard run with 3:11 left in the fourth quarter.
"There were ups and downs today but it is about how you finish the game that counts," Johnson said. "I wasn't pressing much today. Coach Reeves did a great job with me in dealing with me because I'm a fiery guy and I get angry easily but he talks me through it."
It was similar to his performance last October 13 when Johnson filled in for an injured Vick and completed 19-of-25 passes for 257 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a score in a 17-10 road win against the New York Giants.
"Doug is a smart quarterback and has a great arm and we all as a team believe in him," said Falcons cornerback Ray Buchanan.
The Falcons managed just a field goal by Jay Feely on their opening drive and trailed at halftime, 7-3.
But Reeves, the NFL's winningest active coach with a 199-164-2 record, made the necessary adjustments with Johnson, who hit running back Warrick Dunn with a seven-yard touchdown and connected with tight end Alge Crumpler on a 41-yard scoring play in the third quarter, giving the Falcons a 17-7 lead.
"It is nice to start the season 1-0 when everyone thought that we couldn't," Reeves said. "I think my players are more confident with Doug now and this win has given us, as a team, more confidence for the rest of the season."
Aveion Cason scored on a 63-yard run and Joey Galloway had seven catches for 139 yards for Dallas, including a 49-yard TD with 11:37 left in the fourth quarter.
But after Galloway's touchdown pulled the Cowboys within 20-13, Johnson directed a 14-play, 75-yard drive which consumed nearly 8 1/2 minutes. He completed 5-of-5 passes for 54 yards in the drive and capped it with a one-yard touchdown run with 3:11 remaining in the game.
"We let them go the length of the field after we missed an extra point that could have brought us within a touchdown. That's a recipe for disaster," said Parcells, who returned to the NFL after a three-year retirement. "We've got a lot of work to do. Let's see where we go from here."
The Cowboys outgained the Falcons, 403-318, but quarterback Quincy Carter committed two turnovers and kicker Billy Cundiff missed a short field goal and an extra point for the Cowboys.
"It's pretty frustrating," said Carter, who was 15-of-32 for a career-high 268 yards. "We've got to cut down on our turnovers and mental mistakes. We knew everything that Atlanta was going to do. We were well prepared and we just didn't execute like we needed to."
In their first game following the departure of all-time NFL rushing leader Emmitt Smith, the Cowboys rushed for 149 yards. Cason accounted for more than half with 77 yards on two carries. The first was his 63-yard TD run up the middle behind a block by guard Larry Allen, giving the Cowboys a 7-3 lead with 4:25 left in the first quarter.
Dallas could have increased its lead, but Cundiff missed a 33-yard field goal with 20 seconds left in the half.
The second half started with Carter losing a fumble on the third play from scrimmage and linebacker Matt Stewart recovering for the Falcons at the Dallas 40. Rookie Justin Griffith broke off a 15-yard run before Dunn caught a low pass and dived into the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown, giving the Falcons a 10-7 lead with 11:23 left in the third quarter.
A brilliant call by Reeves made Johnson's second TD pass an easy one. Johnson ran to his right and then threw back to his left to an uncovered Crumpler, who rumbled 41 yards for a touchdown with 4:02 remaining in the third.
"They overshifted which allowed me to be open and Doug made a good pass," said the 6-2, 262-pound Crumpler. "I turned the ball up and turned on what turbo jets I had."
Feely's 31-yard field goal 2:16 into the fourth quarter increased the lead to 20-7.
"Atlanta outplayed us when it got to crunch time," Parcells said. "The second half was very one-sided. You can't do the things that cause you to lose a game and expect to win. If you do that, you don't have a chance."
