[Baltimore Sun] Instant analysis from Ravens’ 28-25 win over Dallas Cowboys in Week 3
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Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the Ravens’ 28-25 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Sunday’s Week 3 game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Brian Wacker, reporter: After the Saints gashed the Cowboys for 190 rushing yards in a 44-13 blowout of Dallas last week, the game plan was obvious. The Ravens wisely attacked the Cowboys where they are most vulnerable, and that helped open up the passing game for Lamar Jackson, who was efficient, accurate and in control. Another part of the story was Baltimore’s much-maligned offensive line, which cleared holes for the ground game and kept All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons and the rest of the defense mostly at bay. The Ravens broke the game open with an eight-play 80-yard drive late in the first half, but inexplicably still needed to hang on down the stretch after failing to recover an onside kick then committing a series of penalties and allowing the Cowboys to make it close in the end.
Childs Walker, reporter: The Ravens scared their fans (and perhaps themselves) to death, nearly blowing a 22-point fourth-quarter lead with ill-timed penalties, coverage mistakes and another missed field goal by Justin Tucker. Lamar Jackson ultimately put it away with a clutch throw to Zay Flowers and a final 10-yard run to kill the clock. Facing oblivion, they needed him to be the MVP, and he was. The Ravens could not start 0-3 and expect to reach their grand goals for the season. They knew it and answered the bell with their best all-around effort of the season for three quarters. This time, they came out of halftime with a 15-point lead and did not mess around, running the ball down the Cowboys’ throats with Derrick Henry and Jackson. Fans wanted an identity from this offense and got it against a Dallas defense that was already reeling coming off a blowout loss to the Saints. After a week of questions about their offensive line, coaches stuck with Patrick Mekari and Daniel Faalele on the right side and made it work with sheer power. The Ravens couldn’t have started much better, stifling the Cowboys’ first drive with pressure and tight coverage, then cruising 71 yards on five plays to go up 7-0. Dallas didn’t seem to have any idea what was coming. The Ravens knew they had a major advantage on the ground and pressed it, feeding Henry even after he was bottled up early. They outrushed the Cowboys 111 yards to 32 in the first half. On defense, rookie Nate Wiggins wiped out Dallas’ best drive with a forced fumble in the red zone, and Kyle Hamilton was back to All-Pro form with a series of highlight hits around the line of scrimmage.
Mike Preston, columnist: The Ravens needed a win badly to avoid an 0-3 start, and they pounded the Cowboys into a lopsided victory. Even though Dallas proved it wasn’t a serious contender, the Ravens needed a win to build confidence going into next Sunday night’s game against Buffalo. The Ravens pounded Dallas with running back Derrick Henry, and the defense was sound from the start of the game until the final whistle. It was a complete game for the Ravens, who couldn’t finish off Kansas City in the opener offensively and then failed to finish off Las Vegas in Week 2. These types of wins build confidence.
C.J. Doon, editor: This is the Ravens team we expected to see (at least in the first three quarters). Lamar Jackson was nearly flawless, Derrick Henry looked unstoppable and the defense clamped down on what has been one of the league’s most efficient passing attacks in recent years. Cowboys star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb got the better of rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins on a few deep passes, but otherwise the Ravens’ secondary looked much improved after a poor start to the season. Wiggins even made a huge play by forcing a fumble when the Cowboys had a chance to score and potentially cut Baltimore’s lead to 14-10 in the first quarter. With a few minutes left before the start of the fourth quarter, quarterback Dak Prescott was just 13-for-23 for 149 yards. Fox analyst Tom Brady pointed to Baltimore’s aggressive man-to-man approach as a reason for that success, and it helps to have safety Kyle Hamilton looking closer to his All-Pro form after he said he was “behind the 8 ball” with injuries coming into the season.
So, yeah. That fourth quarter. What do we make of it? The Ravens continue to struggle with missed tackles, penalties and blown coverages. Just when you thought they would wrap up an easy win with a punishing ground game, they needed Jackson to bail them out with a clutch throw to Zay Flowers on third-and-6 with 2:16 left. Then he made more magic happen to pick up the game-sealing first down after the two-minute warning. The two-time MVP can do that, but he shouldn’t have to every single week.
Tim Schwartz, editor: You could hear the Ravens’ collective sigh of relief from 1,300 miles away as they left little doubt Sunday that they’d pick up win No. 1 of the season — and they did so with the kind of ease that lifted them to the NFL’s best record last year. It’s safe to say after this beatdown that Baltimore is going to be OK and win plenty of games this fall, as long as they learn that this should be their recipe for success. Lamar Jackson should not be throwing the ball 40 times per game. He and Derrick Henry should be dominating the running game and helping this young offensive line get into a groove and gain confidence. You knew it was going to be a good day when Rashod Bateman scored and Nelson Agholor broke free for a long gain, but the Ravens still found a way to let the Cowboys back in it and make it interesting in the fourth quarter. A win next Sunday night against the Bills, and fans can rebook the Super Bowl tickets they canceled after last weekend’s loss to the Raiders.
Bennett Conlin, editor: That was easy. Well, until the end. Another bizarre fourth-quarter lapse diminished the fact that Baltimore mostly bullied Dallas.
Baltimore handled business for three quarters like a top NFL team should against a porous defense. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken called a stellar game, creatively using Jackson and Henry to confound Dallas’ crummy defense. Jackson looked the part of a two-time MVP, and perhaps most encouragingly, he connected with receiving options other than just Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews, and Isaiah Likely. Henry easily eclipsed 100 rushing yards, showcasing why he’s one of the league’s most ferocious runners.
The win is a step in the right direction for Baltimore after an 0-2 start. It avoided opening with a disastrous 0-3 record. The Ravens needed this result with the Steelers starting a perfect 3-0 to lead the division, but the fourth-quarter woes are a significant ongoing concern. Why — and how — was this game in doubt in the final moments?
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