FRISCO -- Sometimes a team can be hurled into a pit so deep, coaches and players have no choice but to confront some uncomfortable truths on the long climb back out.
Atlanta did that to the Cowboys a little more than one year ago. Sunday's rematch isn't about atonement for that 27-7 loss as much as it is a gauge of where the team stands with its reclamation projects.
The loss to the Falcons, and what transpired in the weeks to follow, stripped away any pretense. The Cowboys passing game wasn't simply in decline. It was broken and would need an overhaul.