It's not often that you see a comeback like the one the Dallas Cowboys pulled off Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. Down 29-10 at halftime, the Cowboys scored 30 points in the second half to take a 40-39 victory. Along the way, they worked past deficits of 39-24 midway through the fourth quarter and 39-30 at the 4:57 mark with only one timeout left.
The rally wouldn't have been complete without a recovered onside kick with 1:48 remaining, after the Falcons inexplicably failed to fall on the ball. Greg Zuerlein's 46-yard field goal on the final play won it.
How unusual was it? ESPN's win probability model identifies only 10 other games in the past 20 seasons in which the victor had a lower win probability during the game. Late in the second quarter, in fact, the Cowboys had a 0.1% chance to win.
Here's a quick look at the previous instances, in order of lowest win probability. Randomly, two of the games heavily involve place-kicker Matt Prater. The model includes all games since the start of the 2001 season.
Detroit Lions 22, Minnesota Vikings 16
When: Week 9, 2016 season
Relevant deficit: Vikings took a 16-13 lead with 23 seconds left
What happened: With no timeouts, the Lions completed two passes and gained a total of 35 yards. Quarterback Matthew Stafford spiked the ball with 2 seconds left, and Matt Prater hit a 58-yard field goal to tie the game. The Lions won in overtime on a first-possession touchdown.
Miami Dolphins 34, New England Patriots 33
When: Week 14, 2018 season
Relevant deficit: Patriots took a 33-28 lead with 16 seconds left
What happened: The Miami Miracle, of course. The Dolphins got one play from their 31-yard line. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw a 14-yard pass to wide receiver Kenny Stills, who lateraled to wideout DeVante Parker, who lateraled to running back Kenyan Drake, who sprinted 52 yards for the winning touchdown.
Denver Broncos 13, Chicago Bears 10
When: Week 14, 2011 season
Relevant deficit: Bears took a 10-0 lead on the first play of the fourth quarter and held that lead until the 5-minute mark in the game
What happened: Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow went 7-for-7 on the Denver's next possession, the final throw a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. The Bears went three-and-out, then Tebow led a second scoring drive that ended in Matt Prater's 59-yard field goal with 8 seconds remaining. The Broncos won it on Prater's 51-yard field goal in overtime.
Arizona Cardinals 21, Philadelphia Eagles 20
When: Week 4, 2001 season
Relevant deficit: Eagles took a 20-14 lead with 1:13 remaining
What happened: Cardinals quarterback Jake Plummer got his team to the Eagles' 35-yard line but faced fourth-and-10 with 17 seconds remaining. Plummer tossed a jump ball to wide receiver Marty Jenkins, who had posted up Eagles cornerback Troy Vincent -- yes, that Troy Vincent -- at the 2-yard line. Jenkins caught the ball, ran around Vincent and jumped into the end zone for the win.
Minnesota Vikings 29, New Orleans Saints 24
When: 2017 divisional playoff round
Relevant deficit: Saints took a 24-23 lead with 25 seconds left
What happened: The Minneapolis Miracle, naturally. On third-and-10 from the Vikings' 39-yard line quarterback, Case Keenum found wideout Stefon Diggs on the right sideline. Saints safety Marcus Williams missed the tackle, and Diggs sprinted into the end zone for a walk-off touchdown.
Dallas Cowboys 27, New York Giants 26
When: Week 1, 2015 season
Relevant deficit: Giants took a 26-20 lead with 1:34 remaining
What happened: With no timeouts, the Cowboys drove 72 yards on six plays for the winning score. Facing third-and-2 at the Giants' 11-yard line with 13 seconds left, center Travis Frederick sent a low snap to quarterback Tony Romo. But Romo grabbed the ball off the ground and threw the winning touchdown pass to tight end Jason Witten.
New Orleans Saints 33, Washington 30
When: Week 13, 2009 season
Relevant deficit: Washington took a 30-20 lead at home with 12:51 remaining
What happened: The Saints scored 10 points in the final 6:52, including a 53-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees to Robert Meachem with 1:19 left. The Saints had a chance to win in regulation after intercepting Washington quarterback Jason Campbell, but place-kicker Garrett Hartley missed a 58-yard field goal attempt. Hartley, however, won the game with an 18-yard field goal in overtime.
Denver Broncos 12, Cincinnati Bengals 7
When: Week 1, 2009 season
Relevant deficit: Bengals took a 7-6 lead with 38 seconds left
What happened: With the Broncos facing second down from their own 13-yard line, quarterback Kyle Orton targeted wideout Brandon Marshall near the sideline at about midfield. The pass was tipped, but Broncos wide receiver Brandon Stokley grabbed it out of the air and sprinted to the end zone for the winning score.
Green Bay Packers 27, Detroit Lions 23
When: Week 13, 2015 season
Relevant deficit: Lions took a 23-14 lead with 7:06 remaining (and still led 23-21 with 6 seconds to play)
What happened: With 6 seconds left, the Packers faced a third-and-10 from their 21-yard line. They tried a multi-lateral play, and Lions defensive end Devin Taylor tackled quarterback Aaron Rodgers at the 24-yard line to end the game. Or so everyone thought. Officials called Taylor for grabbing Rodgers' face mask, not only giving the Packers another play but also moving the ball up 15 yards and into Rodgers' range for a Hail Mary. Rodgers then won the game on a 61-yard throw to tight end Richard Rodgers.
Detroit Lions 13, New Orleans Saints 12
When: Week 15, 2005 season
Relevant deficit: Saints took a 12-10 lead with 1:52 remaining
What happened: The Lions took over at their 19-yard line with no timeouts remaining. The big play was converting a fourth-and-17 at their own 24-yard line on a 40-yard pass from quarterback Joey Harrington to wide receiver Roy Williams. A 15-yard pass to Williams on third-and-10 put Jason Hanson in position to kick a 39-yard winning field goal.