a 13-10 lead with a 48-yard field goal from Septién. But Atlanta got a big break on the ensuing kickoff when a 15-yard personal foul penalty against Dallas turned Dennis Pearson's 36-yard return into a 51-yard gain and gave them the ball on the Cowboys 40-yard line. From there, Atlanta scored on a 7-play drive, the last one a 17-yard touchdown pass from Steve Bartkowski to Wallace Francis that gave the team a 17-13 lead. Dallas barely avoided disaster when they muffed the ensuing kickoff, managing to recover the ball in the end zone for a touchback. But on the next play, Tony Dorsett lost a fumble while being hit by Greg Brezina, and Falcons linebacker Dewey McClain recovered it on the Cowboys 30-yard line. The Dallas defense managed to keep Atlanta out of the end zone, but Mazzetti kicked a 22-yard field goal to give them a 20-13 lead with 50 seconds left in the half. Dallas then drove to the Falcons 35-yard line, but lost the ball on a fumbled snap in shotgun formation that was recovered by defensive back Tom Pridemore. To make matters worse for Dallas, Staubach was knocked out of the game on the drive due to a massive hit from linebacker Robert Pennywell, though they did manage to prevent Atlanta from scoring as a result of an interception by Randy Hughes. Atlanta had to punt from deep in their territory on their opening drive of the second half, and Johnson returned it to the Falcons 49-yard line. Still, Dallas was unable to capitalize, as they lost their fourth turnover of the day, this time a pass from White that was intercepted by Rolland Lawrence. Still, Dallas quickly forced a punt and again achieved excellent field position as Johnson returned it 8 yards to their 46-yard line. Then White completed passes to Billy Joe Dupree and Laidlaw for gains of 24 and 15 yards as the team drove 54 yards in seven plays to tie the game, 20-20, on his 2-yard touchdown pass to Smith. Later on, Bartkowski threw a pass that was deflected by Cliff Harris and intercepted by defensive back Aaron Kyle, who returned it 15 yards to the Falcons 41-yard line. On the next play, the last of the third quarter, Dupree took the ball on an end around play and ran for a 20-yard gain. Still, the Falcons defense managed to