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.

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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

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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?

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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.

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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 more than his share of success in the NFL but has a lot of work to do to turn things around. Given what his defense showed on Sunday, it’s fair to question if that’s going to be possible.

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