ATLANTA (AP) As the ball spun slowly along the turf at Jerry's World, the black-clad players backing away like it was a live grenade, Atlanta's grim sports history flooded the consciousness.

It was an unstoppable wave of misery, disgust and gagging at the most inopportune times, all wrapped up in an almost laughable inevitability.

There was never any doubt a Dallas player would fall on the onside kick before the Falcons did. There was never any doubt the Cowboys would complete a pass to get into field-goal range. There was never any doubt the game-winning kick would almost perfectly split the uprights, handing a team from Atlanta an almost unfathomable defeat.