Only two games into the season, the Atlanta Falcons have already generated more buzz than they have in years. With Matt Ryan and Julio Jones torching opponents and first-year coach Dan Quinn inspiring confidence while changing the tone on defense, Atlanta is among the NFL's biggest surprises.

And there's a long list of intriguing storylines in Atlanta's matchup with the Dallas Cowboys -- both 2-0 -- but one stands out: The visiting Falcons, after consecutive abysmal seasons, could lay the groundwork for a sensational start by defeating the Cowboys, as the passing game continues to hum. Ryan is averaging 330 yards per game through the first two weeks, and Jones is at nearly 140 yards per game. Is it the coaching? Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan will tell you that Ryan and Jones can make any coach look smart, and while that might go both ways, he's got a point.

Shanahan has coached standout QBs, and he has worked with wide receivers who are as dedicated to their craft as Jones, but the combination? "Together they really are something," Shanahan said on the phone.

With two wins against NFC East teams, Atlanta is off to a hot start this season. AP Photo/John Bazemore

"The things Julio can do, what he does to coverage ... there are so few guys in the league who can play the position the way he does. And Matt ... he makes a ton of plays. They make a ton of plays together. When you have Julio and Matt Ryan, yeah, it's a great place to start."

Typically effective in victories over the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants, Ryan directed his 29th career game-winning drive -- the most by any quarterback since the three-time Pro Bowler entered the league in 2008 -- as the Falcons overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit on the road to stun the Giants. As for Jones, you could write a book on his opening act.

Tied for the league lead with 22 receptions, Jones also is second with 276 receiving yards and has scored two touchdowns. After rewarding Jones with $47.5 million guaranteed -- the most given to any wideout during the offseason -- in August, Falcons management definitely is pleased. "Julio is just such a freak," Shanahan said. To say Jones has carried the Falcons' passing game doesn't completely tell the story.

At 33, Roddy White isn't the same receiver who, beginning in 2007, often separated from coverage easily while racking up at least 83 catches and 1,200 yards for six straight seasons. White failed to catch a pass against the Giants. It was his first game without a reception since Week 13 of 2006, his second season.

Backup wideout Leonard Hankerson, one of Shanahan's pupils when they worked together with the Washington Redskins, is second on the team with eight catches. The Falcons plan to lean on Jones as much as possible, "because it would be pretty stupid not to," Shanahan said. "But we want to get all of our eligibles [receivers] involved as much as we can. We all know how long the season is. We're going to need everyone. That's just not something coaches like to say -- it's actually true."

It's also true that with Ryan at the controls, the Falcons' offense will be as good as it can be. Although the Falcons became completely unglued (after winning two NFC South titles in a three-year span, they went 10-22 combined during the 2013 and '14 seasons), Ryan, as he should have, escaped much of the blame for the collapse. Last season, the Falcons became the only team over the past nine seasons to have both a losing record and a Total QBR score above 70, my colleague Mike Sando recently wrote. Ryan covers up a lot, Shanahan quickly learned.

"I've always known he's a real good player, obviously," Shanahan said. "But until I got here, what I couldn't tell was how smart he is and how easy he is to coach. If you want him to do something, all you have to do is show it to him one time.

"You show it to him and he does it exactly the way you want it. What's nice is that you feel you're working with a guy who's on the same level as you are, as far as he can see it, understand it and then go out and do it."

Shanahan is in the early stages of developing a scheme with better run-pass balance -- in 2014, the Falcons ranked eighth in the NFL in passing but only 24th in rushing -- and the process suffered a setback because impressive rookie running back Tevin Coleman is out indefinitely with an injury. Of course, when it comes to injuries, no team can match the Cowboys' pain.

Still, given what the Cowboys have up on the offensive line, nothing is easy. Which presents the flip side of the Atlanta coaching equation. On one side, you have a coach working with exceptional talent. On the other, you have a coach trying to coax more out of less.

On Sunday, the Cowboys will face a defense that resembles the aggressive bunch Quinn led during his time with the Seattle Seahawks. Well, at least in terms of effort.

Kroy Biermann and the Falcons' defense has been much improved through two games, but they face a test in Dallas. Alex Goodlett/Getty Images

No one would mistake Atlanta's secondary for Seattle's Legion of Boom, or any other Falcons position group with their Seahawks counterparts, for that matter. However, Quinn has brought the Seahawks' fly-to-the-ball mentality to Atlanta. Against the Giants, one play in the third quarter exemplified Quinn's way.

Trailing by 10 points with the Giants on their 9-yard line, Falcons defensive end Kroy Biermann stripped quarterback Eli Manning, resulting in a momentum-shifting turnover. Every coach wants to win the turnover battle, "but we're always talking about creating turnovers," Shanahan said. "[Quinn] always preaches that it's all about the ball and competing. You hear it left and right. When I first got here it was like, 'Okay, this is cool.'

"To actually be out there each day [at practice], to watch our defense fly around the way it does and to see how fast they play and how it shows up on the field [in games] ... you really appreciate what he's doing. Going against him over the years, you see the same things.

"Yeah, they have some pretty talented players in Seattle. But I already see some of the same things, the same focus, in our players. It's not always just because you have the right guys -- it's what you get them to believe." Quinn also is a proponent of the one-game-at-a-time mantra. Although it would only be human nature for the Falcons, with games against the Houston Texans and Redskins up next, to peak at the schedule and wonder aloud about a 5-0 start, Quinn won't have it.

"We're 1,000 percent just looking at Dallas, which is the way he wants it," Shanahan said. "Dan has everyone on the same page: All the games all as big as they get." That's sound thinking, especially for a franchise eager to get back to the top of the standings. Against the Cowboys, who clearly have a lot of fight in them, the Falcons have another early opportunity to take a step in the right direction.

In Atlanta, it's been an auspicious start, and if the defense is anywhere near the heights of the offense, there's no telling where things can end up.