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 Walker, Correspondent: After the Saints held the Cowboys to 190 rushing yards in a 44-13 rout of Dallas last week, the game plan became clear. The Ravens attacked smartly where the Cowboys were 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 is Baltimore’s much-vaunted offensive line, which eliminated holes for Derrick Henry and kept All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons and the rest of the defense at bay for the most part. The Ravens broke the game open with an eight-play 80-yard drive late in the first half, but inexplicably had to go into overtime after failing to recover an onside kick and allowing the Cowboys to commit a series of penalties. It closes eventually.
Children’s Walker, reporter: The Ravens scared their fans (and maybe themselves) to death, nearly taking a 22-point lead into the fourth quarter before getting foul-timed penalties, coverage mistakes and another missed field goal by Justin Tucker. Lamar Jackson eventually tied it with a clutch throw to Cy Flowers and a final 10-yard run to kill the clock. Faced with oblivion, they needed him as the MVP.
The Ravens are off to an 0-3 start and look to reach their lofty goals for the season. They knew it and responded to the clock with their best all-round effort of the three-quarter season. This time, they came out of halftime with a 15-point lead and didn’t mess around, running the ball down the Cowboys’ throats with Derrick Henry and Jackson. The fans wanted a sign from this offense and they got it against a Dallas defense that had already given the Saints a big loss. After a week of questions about their attacking line-up, the coaches stuck with Patrick McGarry and Daniel Falale on the right and made it work with sheer force.
The Ravens couldn’t have gotten off to a better start, stifling the Cowboys’ first drive with pressure and tight coverage, then going 71 yards in five plays to go up 7-0. Dallas had no idea what was coming. The Ravens knew they had a huge advantage on the floor and pressed it, feeding Henry even after he was bottled up early. They outgained the Cowboys 111 yards to 32 in the first half. On defense, rookie Nate Wiggins snuffed out Dallas’ best drive with a forced fumble in the red zone, and Kyle Hamilton returned to All-Pro form.
Mike Preston, Columnist: The Ravens needed a win to avoid an ugly 0-3 start, and they beat the Cowboys, but there are still plenty of questions about the defense. While Dallas proved not to be a serious contender, it scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to hang on the Ravens. Baltimore chased Dallas with Derrick Henry, and the defense looked good for most of the game, but there was a lot of confusion in the secondary going into fourth down late in the third quarter. The Ravens shut out Dallas late in the season opener against Kansas City, followed by a defensive performance in Week 2 against Las Vegas.
This type of success builds confidence, which the Ravens need to carry over into next Sunday night’s home game against Buffalo, but there are some concerns about the defense and first-year coordinator Zach Orr. The Ravens can’t afford to play like this and expect to go deep into the playoffs. Offensively, they had some consistency. More questions arose on the other side of the ball, especially in the second half.
CJ Dunn, Editor: This is the Ravens team we’ve come to expect (at least through the first three quarters). Lamar Jackson was nearly flawless, Derrick Henry looked unstoppable and a defense that contained 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. When the Cowboys had a chance to score, Wiggins made a big play to cut Baltimore’s lead to 14-10 in the first quarter. With minutes left in the fourth quarter, quarterback Dak Prescott was 13-of-23 for 149 yards. Fox analyst Tom Brady pointed to Baltimore’s aggressive man-to-man approach as the reason for that success, and it helps that Kyle Hamilton, who said he’s “behind the 8 ball” with injuries, is getting a closer look at his All-Pro form. Comes in season.
So, yes. That fourth quarter. What do we do about it? The Ravens continue to struggle with missed tackles, penalties and blown coverages. Just when you thought they would pull off an easy win with a punishing ground game, Jackson bailed them out with a clutch throw to Jack Flowers on third-and-6 with 2:16 left. He then produced more magic with his feet to take the game-ceiling first down after the two-minute warning. The two-time MVP can carry a team, but he shouldn’t go every week.
Tim Schwartz, Editor: Season’s win no. 1, you could hear the Ravens’ collective sigh from 1,300 miles away. It’s safe to say the Ravens will be OK and win plenty of games this fall, as long as they learn that this should be their recipe for success (outside of that fourth quarter, of course). Lamar Jackson shouldn’t throw the ball 40 times a game. He and Derrick Henry should dominate the running game and help this young offensive line gain a groove and confidence. You know it’s going to be a good day when Rashod Bateman scores and Nelson Agholor gets a long gain, but the Ravens got the Cowboys back in it and found a way to make it interesting in the fourth quarter. A win next Sunday night against the Bills could re-book Super Bowl tickets fans canceled after last weekend’s loss to the Raiders.
Bennett Conlin, Editor: It was easy. Well, until the end. Another strange fourth-quarter loss undercut the fact that Baltimore often bullied Dallas.
The Ravens handled business for three quarters like a great NFL team against a porous defense. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken called a stellar game, creatively using Jackson and Henry to confuse Dallas’ poor defense. Jackson looked the part of two-time MVP, and perhaps most encouragingly, he joined other receiving options besides Jay Flowers, Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely. Henry easily eclipsed 100 rushing yards, showing why he is one of the league’s most ferocious running backs.
The win was a step in the right direction for Baltimore after an 0-2 start. It got off to a disastrous 0-3 start. The Ravens needed this result, the Steelers started 3-0 to lead the division, but the fourth quarter woes are a significant concern. Why — how — was this game in doubt last time?
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