Despite the final score, the Cowboys were not really competitive on Sunday.
The Dallas Cowboys disappointed the home crowd for the second week in a row after another dismal performance. They were bad on both sides of the ball and the Baltimore Ravens took control early en route to a 28-25 win that wasn’t as close as the score indicates. The Cowboys will need to look long and hard to figure out what plagues them as it’s been a while since we’ve seen them string together two straight terrible games of football. Here are 10 thoughts on the Cowboys lackluster performance on Sunday.
1. Overheightened confidence
From the moment head coach Mike McCarthy elected to take the ball after winning the coin toss, you just knew things weren’t going to go well. Teams do that if they want to make a statement. Have your offense drive the ball down the field. We get it. But who are they fooling? This is an offense that is struggling to find its way and the fact that they couldn’t get to midfield and slopped about committing penalties just showed they weren’t up to making that statement. Just kick it next time, Mike. It’s always better to start with the ball in the second half.
2. Defense picked up right where they left off
Last week, the Cowboys defense struggled immensely against the Saints’ offense, allowing touchdowns on their first six drives of the game. That’s insanely bad. The defense picked up where they left off allowing the Ravens to have their way with them on their first two drives with two straight 70+ yard drives ending with a touchdown. And just like that, the Cowboys found themselves down big early.
3. Run-stopping struggles continue
After giving up 190 yards on the ground last week, all we could do was hope that things would be better in this one. It wasn’t. The Cowboys’ defense surrendered 274 rushing yards. It was the most rushing yards this defense has given up in a game since the dreadful Mike Nolan days in 2020 when the team allowed 294 yards to, guess who, the Baltimore Ravens. Derrick Henry did most of the heavy lifting rushing for 151 yards on 25 carries (6.0 ypc), but Lamar Jackson added another 87 yards.
4. Can’t tackle to save their life
The run-stopping problems can be attributed to a lot of things. Many times they always seem to be leaning in the wrong direction. They’re not reading the play well and end up being a step behind. On Sunday, the Cowboys’ run-stopping problems were more than just mental. They were being overpowered. The defenders just couldn’t square up on the Ravens ball carriers and every time it seemed like they should be stopped, they weren’t. The Ravens just steamed over the Cowboys defenders.
5. Missed opportunity
After the Ravens went up 14-3 late in the first quarter, the Cowboys looked as if they were going to respond with a touchdown drive. They drove down to the Ravens’ nine-yard line before a Tyler Guyton holding penalty backed them up 10 yards. On the next play, Dak Prescott hit CeeDee Lamb on a 10-yard slant, but Lamb fumbled the ball when it was knocked out by a Ravens’ defender. Just like that, the drive ended and the Cowboys had nothing to show for it.
6. Missed opportunity, part II
To the surprise of many, the Cowboys’ defense made a couple of stops in the second quarter, but sadly the offense could not capitalize. And when the Ravens scored a touchdown with just 25 seconds left in the first half to go up 21-3, it felt like it was all over. The offense didn’t quit and kept things interesting when Prescott found Lamb deep down the sideline for a 31-yard pass play. Then, on the very next play, it looked like the Cowboys were in business when the Ravens committed defensive pass interference near the goal line. Unfortunately, Guyton was also flagged for holding, creating offsetting penalties. The Cowboys had to settle for another Brandon Aubrey field goal.
7. Why were things so hard?
One of the more frustrating things about this game is that things just looked easy for the Ravens offense and super confusing for the Cowboys offense. Jackson had clear-sailing running lanes and wide-open receivers. Even when they had a broken play, they turned it into positive yardage because there was no Cowboys defender to be found. Prescott, on the other hand, didn’t have it as easy. Whenever he completed a pass, it felt like the defender was draped all over him. The broadcast team was constantly talking about how many tight-window throws Prescott had. Either the playcalling was terrible, the receivers weren’t creating separation, or Dak just wasn’t seeing the field well. Whatever’s going on, the Cowboys offense looks stupefied.
8. Trying to do too much
When the offense repeatedly struggles, it’s easy to get antsy and want to go for the big play. It felt like Prescott and Lamb were trying to do too much at times. Lamb had the fumble in the first half and he had a false start in the second half. Prescott was a little high with some of his throws and even just lost the grip of the football on one play as he felt the pocket collapsing. It was a stressful environment, but the team’s top offensive playmakers didn’t seem to have cool heads about them.
9. Last gasp
As horrid as this game was to sit through, the Cowboys made things interesting with a mini-run in the fourth quarter. After Justin Tucker missed a 46-yard field goal, the Cowboys still were trailing 28-6 with just over ten minutes left. The offense then put together two touchdown drives back-to-back thanks to a recovered onside kick. Each drive took less than two minutes, making it a 28-18 game with just over seven minutes left. After the Ravens went three-and-out, the Cowboys added on another touchdown drive, making it 28-25 with 2:44 left in the game. Sadly, the Cowboys’ defense was all out of stops and the Ravens were able to run out the clock after making two first downs.
10. There’s no place like home
Last year, it seemed like the Cowboys were unbeatable at AT&T Stadium. In the regular season, they were as they won every home game last year. But since then, they’ve had a rough go inside the friendly confines of their own stadium. Dating back to last year’s debacle against the Packers, the Cowboys have now been outscored by 54 points in the first half in their last three home games. They’re getting wrecked before the halftime show even starts. It’s crazy that this keeps happening and they’re not giving them much of a chance in the second half. On Sunday, they finally got rolling, but it was too little too late.
