It was not for the faint of heart, but the Baltimore Ravens secured their first win of the season with a 28-25 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.

The Ravens led by as many as 22 points in the second half, but quickly saw that lead shrink to three points with less than three minutes left to play. Ultimately, however, the Ravens were able to hold on and avoid blowing a double-digit lead for the second week in a row.

“In difficult times, you find out who you are,” said Ravens running back Derrick Henry. “We accepted the challenge.”

Here are three takeaways from a much-needed win for the Ravens.

In the first two weeks of the season, the Ravens seemed like an offense without an identity.

Against Dallas, that changed drastically.

Baltimore returned to its old strength, running the football 45 times for 274 yards and three touchdowns. The prolific running attack was led by Henry and Lamar Jackson. Henry had 25 carries for 151 yards and two touchdowns, while Jackson had 14 carries for 87 yards and a score.

By comparison, Jackson only threw the ball 15 times. He completed 12 of 15 for 182 yards and one touchdown.

When Baltimore signed Henry in the offseason, the tandem of him and Jackson was already considered one of the best backfield duos in the league. If Sunday’s performance was a sign of what’s to come for Jackson and Henry, the Ravens shouldn’t hesitate to rely on these two to lead the offense every time they step on the field.

It was an eerily similar atmosphere to last week when the Ravens saw their double-digit lead shrink to three points with 2:44 left in the game.

But this time the Ravens managed to exorcise their demons and persevere.

After the Cowboys forced third-and-6 with 2:36 left, Jackson found Zay Flowers for his second catch of the game and the nine-yard gain got the chains moving. Two plays later, Jackson tied the game with a 10-yard run.

Holding on to a lead, no matter how big, is nothing to be sniffed at for the Ravens. It takes mental toughness and grit to find yourself in the same situation you failed in a week ago and overcome it the second time around.

The Ravens did just that in their win over the Cowboys, and it might be just what they needed to turn around their previous struggles in close quarters.

Which young pass rusher would come out on top was one of the more pressing questions for the Ravens at the start of this season.

Instead, it was a veteran edge rusher who led the pack for three games.

Kyle Van Noy recorded two more sacks against the Cowboys and now leads the Ravens with four. Last season, the 33-year-old pass rusher was third on the team with nine sacks.

Van Noy’s steady presence and consistency have been a boon to the Ravens since his arrival last season, and he’s still performing at his best even as he recovers from a fractured orbit.

While the emergence of Odafe Oweh or David Ojabo would be a more than welcome sign for the Ravens, Van Noy’s ability to build on his success after a career year last season deserves recognition and will help stabilize a young defense that is still trying to find its footing this season.

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