This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Atlanta • Matt Ryan came up with two words to describe his performance Sunday night.

"Good enough," he said.

It's a familiar summary for the 2012 Atlanta Falcons, who just keep winning — even when they make a couple mistakes.

Michael Turner had a tiebreaking 3-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, Matt Bryant kicked four field goals and the Falcons beat the Dallas Cowboys 19-13 to extend their run as the NFL's only unbeaten team.

"I think at the end of the day, it's a league that's based on wins and losses, and tonight was a solid effort by this team and we did what we needed to do to come out with a win," Ryan said.

Turner had 20 carries for 102 yards and Ryan had a season-high 342 yards passing for the Falcons (8-0), who took their first lead with 14:16 left in the game.

"We have a very good football team," coach Mike Smith said. "It says a lot about the resolve because there is going to be ebbs and flows in a football game, and there were a lot tonight. We did a nice job staying focused."

Tony Romo completed 25 of 35 passes for 321 yards for the Cowboys (3-5), who have dropped four of their last five games. They were held to 65 yards rushing, including 39 yards on nine carries by Felix Jones.

"There's a reason they're undefeated halfway through the season," Dallas coach Jason Garrett said. "This is a challenging place to play at. I thought we did some good things in the ballgame. They did more good things. We didn't do enough to win this game in all three phases of our football team."

The Cowboys trailed 16-6 before Romo tried to put together a comeback. He completed all six of his attempts on a big drive that ended with a 21-yard TD strike to Kevin Ogletree.

The Falcons then worked the clock, holding the ball for 5 minutes, 4 seconds, leaving only 17 seconds after Bryant's 32-yard field goal.

The Cowboys burned all their timeouts as Ryan kept the Falcons' offense on the field in the crucial time-consuming drive. Ryan passed to Jacquizz Rodgers for 31 yards and 11 yards on third-down plays. A defensive holding call against cornerback Orlando Scandrick on another third down prolonged the possession. Falcons 19,Cowboys 13

Dallas 6 0 0 7 — 13

Atlanta 0 6 0 13 — 19

First Quarter

Dal • FG Bailey 23, 10:46.

Dal • FG Bailey 32, 3:42.

Second Quarter

Atl • FG Bryant 45, 14:15.

Atl • FG Bryant 46, :00.

Fourth Quarter

Atl • Turner 3 run (Bryant kick), 14:16.

Atl • FG Bryant 36, 7:49.

Dal • Ogletree 21 pass from Romo (Bailey kick), 5:21.

Atl • FG Bryant 32, :17.

Attendance • 70,840.

Dal Atl

First downs 18 21

Total Net Yards 377 453

Rushes-yards 18-65 26-123

Passing 312 330

Punt Returns 1-37 2-6

Kickoff Returns 3-73 2-45

Interceptions Ret. 0-0 0-0

Comp-Att-Int 25-35-0 24-34-0

Sacked-Yards Lost 1-9 3-12

Punts 4-45.5 2-40.0

Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-0

Penalties-yards 7-50 2-15

Time of Possession 27:17 32:43

Individual Statistics

Rushing • Dallas, F.Jones 9-39, Dunbar 8-26, Tanner 1-0. Atlanta, Turner 20-102, Jones 1-8, Ryan 1-8, Snelling 1-5, Rodgers 3-0.

Passing • Dallas, Romo 25-35-0-321. Atlanta, Ryan 24-34-0-342.

Receiving • Dallas, Austin 7-76, Witten 7-51, F.Jones 5-70, Ogletree 3-96, Bryant 1-15, Beasley 1-8, Vickers 1-5. Atlanta, White 7-118, Jones 5-129, Rodgers 4-53, Gonzalez 4-36, Snelling 3-1, Palmer 1-5.

Missed Field Goals • Dallas, Bailey 54 (WL). Atlanta, Bryant 37 (WR), 43 (WR).