Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images Notable headlines surrounding America’s team. Cowboys show fight late, but can’t complete comeback, drop to 1-2- Shane Taylor, Inside The Star It wasn’t the bounce-back game fans were hoping for. Slow Start We all should know by now that this team is built to play with the lead, it has been that way for a few years now. Yet, the offense failed to do anything with the football after taking the open kickoff. Once again, the defense got shredded. They got gashed on the first two possessions, putting them behind early 14-3. The only points of the first half came from Brandon Aubrey. The only decent drive they had ended inside the 10-yard line when CeeDee Lamb fumbled the football. No surprise, right? The best player on the team finds a way to do such a Cowboys thing and end any quick hope of Dallas having a chance to keep the same close. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry did whatever they wanted to. They closed the first half with another touchdown to extend their lead to 21-6 at half. Gamebreakers: Cowboys who clawed vs. Ravens- Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com The game wasn’t all bad. Brandon Aubrey, K It’s yet another week wherein the Cowboys struggled to find offense, but Brandon Aubrey was still Brandon Aubrey. He didn’t get many chances to swing his right boot against the Ravens by virtue of the offensive mistakes (e.g., fumble, penalties, etc.), but he made it count with each opportunity. His afternoon included kicking a 65-yarder right down the middle of the uprights with room to spare, the single longest field goal in the history of the Cowboys’ franchise. There was a time when the offense wasn’t the concern and the kicker was, but that’s flipped in 2024. Rico Dowdle, RB It was a valiant effort by Dowdle, to be honest. He not only started for the second week in a row, but he made it count when he was given the ball. His total yardage doesn’t say much, but what’s also true is that he was averaging 4.5+ yards per carry each time he took a handoff. So what is missing here? Well, the fact he was only asked to carry the ball seven times entering he fourth quarter, largely because the Cowboys were being blown out for a second consecutive week and running the ball would accomplish nothing. Dowdle looked solid, though, and also on his 18-yard burst late in the game that kept the Cowboys alive — leading to a touchdown by KaVontae Turpin. The Forgotten Play: This unremarkable Mike McCarthy decision cost Cowboys vs Ravens- K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire There is plenty of blame to go around. Trailing 21-6 at the half, the Cowboys defense took the field after the break but still wasn’t able to corral the Ravens’ rushing attack. Derrick Henry raced for 26 of his 151 ground yards and getting into the end zone for a 28-6 lead. Dallas took the ball back at their 29 with 11:58 remaining in the third quarter and marched into Baltimore territory before the drive bogged down. A Tyler Guyton hold on 1st-and-10 from the Ravens’ 29 effectively killed the drive. On 3rd-and-18, Prescott took a sack for a loss of 11 yards, pushing them back to the Baltimore 48. Dallas decided to punt and the Ravens started a new drive at their own 11. Why didn’t Dallas try for a field goal there? Earlier in the game, superstar kicker Brandon Aubrey nailed a 65-yarder with room to spare, kicking from just one-yard shy of the NFL record. Why wouldn’t McCarthy give Aubrey a chance to set the all-time record and inch a little closer? Sure, at the time the game felt out of reach and the decision was almost assuredly from the perspective of Dallas needing a big play to get back in the game. Kicking the ball deep to pin the Ravens means a turnover gets possession deeper in enemy territory. But if Dallas had kicked and made the field goal, everything about their fourth-quarter comeback changes. When Dallas scored their first fourth-quarter TD, the game is 28-15 with the extra point try coming. Derrick Henry revelation proves he took Cowboys’ free-agency snub personal- Leigh Oleszczak, The Landry Hat Henry could have been wearing the star on Sunday. What could have been? Derrick Henry set out to embarrass the Cowboys and he did just that For all of the wrong reasons, the Cowboys’ rushing attack has been one of the biggest talking points through two games. Rico Dowdle has been the best horse in the stable, but the backfield lacks a true difference-maker. Henry clearly took it personal that Dallas didn’t even call. He ran all over Zimmer’s defense to the tune of 151 rushing yards and two touchdowns while also tallying 20 receiving yards. He was a headache all afternoon. If the Cowboys went on to complete their comeback, we’d be attacking this story from a completely different angle but unfortunately, it fell just short. There’s no doubt that Dallas could have used Henry, especially in this game, as their rushing attack was once again a non-factor. The offense had just 51 rushing yards on 3.2 yards per carry and Dak Prescott had the only rushing touchdown. Cowboys winners & losers from Week 3 loss to Ravens – Randy Gurzi, Sports Illustrated There was more of the latter on Sunday. Loser: Mike Zimmer In Week 1, Mike Zimmer was getting hit with all the praise. His defense was lights out in his return to Big D, holding the Browns to 230 yards. They also forced two turnovers and sacked Deshaun Watson six times. They were the complete opposite in Week 2 as they surrendered 432 yards to the New Orleans Saints in a 44-19 blowout. It wasn’t much different in Week 3 as the Ravens were able to assert their dominance from the opening drive. Zimmer has an impressive resume and has had

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images 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,

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images Despite Sunday’s result the Cowboys are serious road favorites for their Thursday night game against the Giants. The Dallas Cowboys were unable to get their bounce-back win on Sunday versus the Baltimore Ravens, For a while it looked the Ravens were going to beat the Cowboys just like the New Orleans Saints did – in a huge blowout. A fourth-quarter rally by the Cowboys made the end result look much better than it should have looked. Now the Cowboys have very little time to lick their wounds as they will be part of the Thursday night game in Week 4. They will travel north to play their division rival, the New York Giants. Both teams are 1-2 after the Giants were able to beat the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The Cowboys are currently 4.5-point favorites for the game according to FanDuel, which is surprising considering how poorly they have played in the last two weeks. But the Giants recent history of being a very bad team is the reason. Still, just a few days ago the Cowboys were 7-point favorites, and now that has come down to 4.5. The Giants getting the win along with the Cowboys trending down is the cause, shifting the betting patterns. The Dallas Cowboys visit the New York Giants a week from today on Thursday Night Football. Early odds for the game are out at @FDSportsbook. The Cowboys are 7-point favorites. — RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) September 19, 2024 Would you bet on the Cowboys as 4.5-point favorites?

Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images What was the biggest reason for Sunday in your opinion? The NFL is unpredictable. For the first three quarters, you can do almost nothing right, but suddenly, everything seems to click. That’s how it was for the Dallas Cowboys against the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore dominated Dallas on both sides of the ball and went into the fourth quarter leading 28-6. Dallas mounted a furious comeback, recovering an onside kick and scoring 19 unanswered points with a chance to get the ball back at the end of regulation for a game-tying/winning drive. Unfortunately, Baltimore sealed the win late with two crucial first downs to run out the clock . The loss is disappointing for the Cowboys as they slide to 1-2 to begin the season. Also, despite the thrilling finish, Dallas’ mistakes throughout most of the game dug them a hole they couldn’t dig themselves out of. Here’s where things went wrong for the Cowboys. Self-inflicted mistakes Forget that the Cowboys had only six accepted penalties for 44 yards. It doesn’t lessen the impact the penalties had on the game. To open the game, Dallas had numerous penalties on their first drive. It was not the start you wanted to get off to, taking the ball after winning the opening coin toss. This served as ominous foreshadowing. Instead of moving forward in the right direction, the Cowboys went backward. Several penalties negated possible points. After a CeeDee Lamb reception to the Baltimore nine-yard line, Tyler Smith would commit a holding penalty to drive the Cowboys back 10 yards. The penalty changed the dynamic of the team’s play calling, and on the ensuing play, Lamb fumbled the ball away to Baltimore as the offense walked off the field empty-handed. Then, with the offense desperate to answer after a touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman, a holding penalty on Tyler Guyton nullified what would have been pass interference on Lamb and set up the offense on the Ravens’ one-yard line. Without Guyton’s penalty, there’s a chance the Cowboys would have scored a touchdown heading into the locker room at the half and trimmed the deficit, but instead, Dallas settled for a long Brandon Aubrey field goal. Lamb’s turnover and team penalties stripped any momentum and confidence the offense could have had much sooner in the contest. Not stopping the run The formula is out for the Cowboys’ defense. Do you want to neutralize Micah Parsons and stop him from taking control of the game? Bludgeon him and the defensive line with the running game. You hate to say that a defense is one-dimensional and can only rush the passer, but with performances like Sunday, what is anyone supposed to think? Dallas could not contain the rushing attack against the New Orleans Saints last week and had trouble fitting runs and getting off blocks. This week, their problem was setting the edges and playing with good eye discipline. Lamar Jackson didn’t have to win the game from the pocket necessarily and threw just 15 passes. Once the run game was firmly established, it led to the play-action pass drawing in the defense, and the misdirection from the Ravens caused the defense to lose leverage and leave wide-open receivers in the secondary. The Cowboys missed over 10 ten tackles. Baltimore ran for 274 yards on the ground on 45 attempts (6.1 ypc) and converted 16 first downs rushing versus two for Dallas. The Dallas offense and defenses are bottom-five units when it comes to stopping the run and running the ball. Last week, we figured that the Cowboys rush defense was susceptible to allowing big gains. However, allowing this many yards inside and out and a vintage performance from Derrick Henry (151 rushing yards) may have illustrated that the run defense is far worse than anyone could have imagined. Lack of explosive plays Though Dallas had a late flurry, the reason they were so behind and unable to sustain drives, was because they could not produce explosive plays. We understand the running game wasn’t going to provide that spark, and it has yet to all season. The Cowboys running backs have only one run of 10 yards or longer, placing the burden on Prescott and the receivers to generate big gains. A few factors weighted the offense down against the Ravens. For starters, the offensive line is struggling to protect Prescott. Cooper Beebe and Tyler Guyton are rookies, so there is a learning curve, and they need time to get acclimated to the NFL. Guyton’s protection problems are rushing Prescott from the pocket, forcing him into premature throws, and tapering down the vertical attack. Veteran Terence Steele is also having comparable issues as well. Nnamdi Madubuike gave Steele fits with his strength and technique, capturing the edge on Prescott and flushing him from the pocket prematurely. Although Prescott had limited chances to throw the ball deep against a Ravens secondary that was hemorrhaging yardage in previous, there were a few occasions. Prescott took shots deep to Cooks and Tolbert, but the receivers could not make the play. The lack of a vertical threat early in the game condensed the offense’s spacing. Nearly every throw from Prescott through the first three quarters was tightly contested. The offense was shackled until it was too little, too late.

Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images Who wins tonight… Kansas City or Atlanta? The Kansas City Chiefs play the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football. Our partners at FanDuel have the Chiefs as three-point favorites in the game. The pick: Kansas City 27 – Atlanta 20. Check out FanDuel for all of your NFL betting needs. This is an open thread for game chat.

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images The Cowboys take on the Ravens in Week 3. The Dallas Cowboys are hoping to get back on track in Week 3 as they host the Baltimore Ravens. This is an open thread for game chat.

Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images Check out some Sunday NFL action. We’re waiting for the Cowboys to play later, but in the meantime enjoy some other NFL games. This is an open thread for game chat.