After one week, the Dallas Cowboys looked like one of the best teams in the NFL. After two weeks, the Baltimore Ravens had a record of 0-2 with a home loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
It’s hard to count on anything so far this season. The Cowboys have gone from a 1-0 record with a solid performance against the Cleveland Browns to what seems like a total free fall. And the Ravens aren’t so bad after all.
The Cowboys rallied to make the final score on Sunday close, but the first three quarters should be cause for concern. The Ravens led 28-6 after three quarters and held off a furious Cowboys comeback to win 28-25 and avoid an 0-3 start. Instead of everyone panicking for the Ravens this coming week, they’ll be panicking for the Cowboys.
Dallas had a tough game for the second straight week after being blown out by the New Orleans Saints in Week 2. The Cowboys made it interesting at the end, but looked miserable again through three quarters.
Dallas’ comeback falls short
Baltimore is a good team and no one should have thought otherwise despite an 0-2 start. Maybe the fourth quarter is a concern for the Ravens, especially after blowing a fourth-quarter lead in Week 2 against the Las Vegas Raiders, but for three quarters they looked like the normal, dominant Ravens.
The Ravens led 28-6 after three quarters. The Cowboys rallied in the fourth quarter, thanks in part to an onside kick recovery that led to a second straight touchdown and cut Baltimore’s lead to 28-18. Dallas got another touchdown after that and trailed 28-25 with less than three minutes left.
Before that fourth-quarter comeback, the Cowboys weren’t doing anything right. CeeDee Lamb fumbled at the Baltimore 10 early in the second quarter, and that was a big turnaround. Lamar Jackson didn’t have a great game because he didn’t have to. He made plays when he needed to, but more often than not, the Ravens let Derrick Henry eat. Henry ran for 151 yards.
Dak Prescott’s numbers looked good at the end, with 379 passing yards, and perhaps what the Cowboys put together in the fourth quarter can serve as a boost. Dallas should hope so, because there’s plenty to worry about after two straight home losses.
Baltimore controls the game for 3 quarters
Had the Cowboys played better during the first three quarters, perhaps their fourth-quarter offense would not have fallen short.
Dallas’ defense has looked terrible the past two weeks. Against the Saints in Week 2, they gave up too many explosive plays. The loss to the Ravens was different. Baltimore just let Henry run all over the place, and Jackson made plays when he had to. Henry broke numerous tackles, and while Dallas isn’t the first defense that has had trouble tackling Henry, it wasn’t a great showing for a defense that suddenly became suspect. The loss of defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who became the head coach of the Washington Commanders last offseason, figures to be a big problem. In the end, with Dallas needing a stop to get the ball back, Baltimore picked up two first downs and secured the win.
The Cowboys’ offense has put up some good numbers, but it’s hard to give them all the credit when the opponent is simply protecting a double-digit lead. The lack of a decent running back was easy to see throughout the offseason, but the Cowboys didn’t seem to care about it. Dallas hasn’t had a running game worth mentioning over the past two weeks. That’s partly the fault of running backs Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott, part of it is negative play scripts, and the offensive line hasn’t played well either.
The Cowboys have a lot of work to do in several areas, but they need to find a solution for at least one thing before their winning streak ruins their season. Baltimore didn’t play a perfect game, but they did enough to win, which is a nice change after the first two games of the season.