The Baltimore Ravens snapped a three-game losing streak with a 34-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday night (due to COVID-19 altering the schedule). Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson only completed 12 passes for 107 yards (he did throw for two touchdowns), but there was no need to throw the ball much with how much success Baltimore was having on the ground.
The Ravens had 37 carries for 294 yards — that’s 7.9 yards per carry — and two touchdowns.
Gus Edwards led the way with 101 yards on seven carries (14.4 AVG).
Jackson nearly matched his passing yardage total, with 94 yards on 13 carries (7.2), highlighted by this 37-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-2:
And rookie running back JK Dobbins showed off his explosiveness with 71 yards on 11 carries (6.5 AVG), including a touchdown:
The Dallas linebackers looked particularly lost, and you can be sure that the Cowboys’ upcoming opponents will look to take advantage of that huge weakness.
But this is a lost season for the Cowboys (really, it was when Dak Prescott was lost for the season, despite Tony Dungy suggesting it could be a “blessing in disguise” for the Cowboys’ offensive identity), who are now 3-9 with a -125 point differential that is better than only the winless New York Jets. And they have *a lot* to figure out over the offseason, as even Cowboys legend Troy Aikman made clear on Tuesday night’s Fox broadcast.
The Ravens, on the other hand, get a badly needed victory to hang around a packed AFC playoff race. At 7-5, Baltimore is currently ninth in the AFC, two spots out of the seven-team field- but just one game back of the No. 6 seed (the Miami Dolphins). That’s how loaded this race is.
Things get more difficult next week for the Ravens- a Monday Night Football road game against the 9-3 Cleveland Browns. But after that one, the schedule gets much easier: vs the Jacksonville Jaguars, vs the New York Giants, and at the Cincinnati Bengals (who may be the NFL’s worst team after losing Joe Burrow for the season). If the Ravens can’t win at least three of those, they don’t deserve to get into the playoffs anyway.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.