After one week, the Dallas Cowboys looked like one of the best teams in the NFL. After two weeks, the Baltimore Ravens were 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 1-0 with a strong performance at the Cleveland Browns to what looks like a total freefall. 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 have to be a concern. The Ravens led 28-6 after three quarters and held off a furious Cowboys rally to win 28-25 and avoid an 0-3 start. Instead of everyone panicking about the Ravens this upcoming week, they’ll be panicking about the Cowboys.
Dallas had a rough outing for the second straight week, after getting trounced by the New Orleans Saints in Week 2. The Cowboys made it interesting in the end, but through three quarters they looked miserable again.
Dallas’ comeback comes up short
Baltimore is a good team and nobody should have thought otherwise despite an 0-2 start. Maybe the fourth quarter is a worry for the Ravens, especially after blowing a lead in the fourth quarter of 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 a recovered onside kick that led to a second straight touchdown and cut Baltimore’s lead to 28-18. Dallas got another touchdown after that and trailed just 28-25 with less than three minutes left.
Before that fourth quarter rally, the Cowboys weren’t doing anything right. CeeDee Lamb had a bad fumble at the Baltimore 10-yard line early in the second quarter, and that was a huge turnaround. Lamar Jackson didn’t have a big game because he didn’t have to. He made plays when it was needed but mostly the Ravens let Derrick Henry eat. Henry had 151 yards rushing.
Dak Prescott’s numbers looked good at the end, with 379 yards passing, and maybe what the Cowboys got going in the fourth quarter can be used as momentum. Dallas better hope so, because there’s a lot to worry about after two straight losses at home.
Baltimore controls the game for 3 quarters
If the Cowboys had played better over the first three quarters, maybe their fourth-quarter surge wouldn’t have come up short.
Dallas’ defense has looked terrible the last two weeks. Against the Saints in Week 2 they gave up way too many explosive plays. The loss to the Ravens was different. Baltimore just let Henry run all over them, with Jackson making plays when he had to. Henry broke numerous tackles, and while Dallas isn’t the first defense that has had trouble tackling Henry, it still wasn’t a great look for a defense that is suddenly suspect. The loss of defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who became the Washington Commanders’ head coach this past offseason, seems to be a pretty big deal. At 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 decent numbers but it’s hard to give them full credit when the opponent is just protecting a double-digit lead. The lack of a decent running back was easy to see all offseason but the Cowboys seemed unconcerned by it. Dallas has had almost no running game to speak of the last two weeks. That’s partially the fault of backs Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott, another part of it is negative game scripts, and the offensive line hasn’t played well either.
The Cowboys have a lot work to do in multiple areas, but they need to figure out a solution to at least something before their winning streak ruins their season. Baltimore didn’t play a perfect game but did enough to win, which is a nice change after the first two games of the season.