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 after a home loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
It’s hard to rely on anything this season. The Cowboys have gone from a 1-0 tie with a strong performance at the Cleveland Browns to what seems like a complete collapse. And the Ravens aren’t all that bad.
The Cowboys rallied and made the final score close on Sunday, but the first three quarters have to be a concern. The Ravens led 28-6 after three quarters and held off a furious Cowboys comeback, winning 28-25 and avoiding an 0-3 start. Instead of panicking about the Ravens next week, they’ll panic about the Cowboys.
Dallas had a tough outing for the second week in a row after being crushed by the New Orleans Saints in Week 2. The Cowboys made it exciting at the end, but again looked pathetic for three quarters.
Dallas’ comeback fails
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 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 caught up in the fourth quarter, thanks in part to a recovered onside kick that led to a second consecutive touchdown and cut Baltimore’s lead to 28-18. Dallas then scored another touchdown and trailed 28-25 with less than three minutes left.
Before that fourth quarter comeback, 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 he needed to, but the Ravens mostly let Derrick Henry run. Henry had 151 rushing yards.
Dak Prescott’s numbers looked good at the end with 379 yards passing, and perhaps what the Cowboys accomplished in the fourth quarter can be used as momentum. Dallas should hope so, because after two straight home losses, there is a lot to be concerned about.
Baltimore controls the game for three quarters
If the Cowboys had played better in the first three quarters, their fourth-quarter resurgence might not have been so lacking.
Dallas’ defense has looked awful the last two weeks. Against the Saints in Week 2, they allowed far too many explosive plays. The loss to the Ravens was different. Baltimore simply let Henry run all over them, and Jackson made plays when he needed to. Henry broke numerous tackles, and while Dallas isn’t the first defense to have trouble tackling Henry, it still wasn’t a good look for a defense that’s suddenly suspect. The loss of defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who became head coach of the Washington Commanders last offseason, seems like a pretty big deal. In the end, when Dallas needed 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 only defending a double-digit lead. The lack of a decent running back has been evident all offseason, but the Cowboys didn’t seem to worry about it. Dallas has had almost no running game to speak of over the last two weeks. Part of that is the fault of backs Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott, part of it is bad playmaking, and the offensive line hasn’t played well either.
The Cowboys have a lot of work to do in many areas, but they need to at least find a solution 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.
