Pinned
Link copied
The Ravens pick up the first down on second and nine just past the two-minute warning, and that will lead to a Ravens victory by a score of 28-25.
ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys needed to come out at home in Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens more put together. They needed to show they weren't going to play with the same sloppiness that doomed them in their 44-19 home loss against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2.
Dallas' instead maintained the trend of sloppiness, trailing Baltimore 21-6 at the half en route to a 28-25 defeat. The Cowboys are the second team in the 21st century to have halftime deficits of 15-plus points in three straight home games, including their 48-32 NFC wild-card round loss against the Green Bay Packers, along with the 2013-2014 Raiders. They have been outscored 83-29 points in the first half of these three games. They mounted an almost-comeback in the second half, out-scoring Baltimore 19-7, but it was too little, too late.
Baltimore running back Derrick Henry found success akin to Avin Kamara on Sunday, racking up 151 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on 25 carries. That's six yards per carry, an astounding figure. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson Jackson finished with 182 passing yards on 12 of 15 passing while rushing for 87 yards on 14 carries and a rushing touchdown (nine yards). The Cowboys have surrendered eight rushing touchdowns in three games this season, approaching the total of 14 they allowed in 17 games last season.
Offensively, the Cowboys struggled to get into rhythm. Their passing game showed signs of life on their third drive with Prescott tossing consecutive big-play completions to tight end Jake Ferguson (24 yards) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (18 yards). That resulted in a Dallas first-and-goal at the Ravens' nine-yard line. Their momentum ended up being short-lived since Lamb fumbled the very next play after getting the ball knocked out of his hands by Ravens rookie first-round pick cornerback Nate Wiggins. Baltimore safety Marcus Williams recovered for the takeaway. Prescott finished the game with 379 passing yards on 28 of 51 passing while running back Rico Dowdle paced the Cowboys in rushing with 32 rushing yards on eight carries. Tight end Jake Ferguson led Dallas in receiving with 95 yards on six catches in his first game back from a bone bruise/MCL sprain in his knee.
The bright spot for Dallas was special teams. All-Pro kicker Brandon Aubrey drained a 65-yard field goal, the longest in team history and second-longest in NFL history. They also became the first team to recover an onside kick in 2024 with the league's new rules.
Why the Ravens won
They dominated the line of scrimmage, outrushing Dallas by 223 yards (274-51). That allowed them to amass a 22-point cushion, 28-6, one that would've been the largest comeback in Cowboys history. They ripped off big runs early at will with the opening drive setting a tone they would maintain for the first three quarters. Jackson began the punishing ground attack with a gain of 12 on the Ravens' first offensive play from scrimmage. Two plays later, running back Justice Hill broke away for a 17-yard gain, and then two plays after that run, Jackson waltzed into the end zone untouched for a 9-yard touchdown.
Baltimore didn't allow Micah Parsons and Co. to rush the passer consistently, which is why they were able to run up the score on Dallas early. Late, the run defense, or lack thereof loomed large: Jackson picked up a game-sealing, 10-yard first down run on a second-and-9 right at the two-minute warning after the Cowboys had used all their timeouts. Game over.
Why the Cowboys lost
Too little, too late. They weren't able to get anything going offensively until already trailing by 22, and their defense couldn't get a stop until trailing by 22 points. A big reason for that is their lack of complementary football. The defense couldn't get off the field against the run, which is why Dallas lost the time of possession battle by nearly 10 minutes: 34:45 for the Ravens and 25:15 for the Cowboys.
Quarterback Dak Prescott also cited some of his offensive teammates' lack of professionalism postgame for some of the offensive issues. There were multiple false starts, but a holding call was the most critical infraction. First-round rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton got called for a holding call on a play in which Lamb got interfered with on an end zone throw from Prescott. His holding call nullified the Baltimore penalty, which would have given Dallas a first-and-goal just before halftime. Instead they settled for an Aubrey field goal. That play ended up having a major impact in a three-point defeat.
Turning point
Lamb's fumble 9 yards away from the end zone early in the second quarter. Scoring a touchdown would have gotten the Cowboys within four points early, 14-10, but the Ravens recovered, which led to Dallas not finding the end zone until the fourth quarter.
Plays of the game
There were three noteworthy plays on Sunday: Henry's 26-yard touchdown run in which he turned back the clock, Aubrey's 65-yard field goal and the Cowboys becoming the first team in the NFL to recover an onside kick with the new rules.
Henry's touchdown run gave the Ravens just enough of a lead to hang on after a furious Cowboys rally.
Aubrey's 65-yarder became the longest in Cowboys history and the second-longest in NFL history.
The onside kick recovery was a milestone moment not only for Dallas but for the league. It was an indication that teams can still recover onside kicks without the element of surprise.
What's next
Dallas (1-2) has a short week as it hits the road to face the New York Giants (1-2) on "Thursday Night Football." Both teams' only win in 2024 came against Deshaun Watson's Cleveland Browns. Baltimore improves to 1-2 with the win and will return home to host the Buffalo Bills on "Sunday Night Football."
