Ravens Hold On, Edge Cowboys 28-25

The Ravens held on to beat the Dallas Cowboys 28-25 in Week 3 of the 2024 NFL season. RSR staff react to the win here.

Chris Schisler

What a difference a half makes. The Ravens dominated the first half and got away with some nonsense in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, the team took major strides forward and got a much needed win on the road. So let’s get the negatives out of the way and then we can celebrate a win.

The onside kick is what it is. The Cowboys got a lucky roll. That didn’t mean they were entitled to a touchdown drive. The officiating gave Dallas a little home cooking. It didn’t start in the fourth quarter (how was Dak Prescott not flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone earlier in the game?) The Ravens still let them march down the field. The big plays given up by this defense are a glaring problem that have popped up in all three games. Zach Orr calls a near perfect first half and then scrambles to find an answer in the second half. It’s a pattern, and it’s a problem.

The Ravens still can’t function running to the right. Most of Derrick Henry’s impressive scampers were to the left. Daniel Faalele gets unlimited chances to not move fluidly and to not reach his blocks. Justin Tucker has the yips and the Ravens kick return team had a nervously timed holding penalty. Okay on to the positives, I promise.

Lamar Jackson had a strong performance. The last play was vintage MVP Jackson. He made the right decision constantly and had a few plays where he made something out of nothing.

Henry and Justice Hill were both incredible in this game. Henry was a monsterd and the play calling supported his strengths. The window dressing of motions especially with Zay Flowers was well orchestrated.

Going on the road and putting up 28 points isn’t easy. The Ravens came in with their best game plan. Harbaugh managed the game well for a nice change of pace. The Ravens shouldn’t have allowed it to be so dramatic yet they got a huge win on the road.

Rob Shields

The Ravens tried snatch defeat from the jaws of victory again but this time they held on.

The Ravens dominated the first 50 minutes of the game. They came in with the right game plan: run it down their throats and stay with it. They ran it for 274 yards, averaging just over 6.0 yards per carry. Henry had his Ravens breakout game with 151 yards and 23 receiving, along with 2 TDs.  The O-line was run blocking well, so that’s good to see.

Lamar played an efficient game where he wasn’t asked to pass much.

Penalties continue to be a huge concern and this needs to get figured out.  Yet again, a major penalty was called late in the game that was a terrible call that totally changed a drive and that hurts, but you have to overcome it. The onsides kick is a fluke thing but again, you have to make these plays. This is all part of this team just not being there mentally. It’s a real problem.

But you got the win and that is what matters. Your season didn’t end today. You have two tough games coming up. We will see how they go but for now, we can all breathe a sigh of relief.

Tanner George

That game was an utter roller coaster, but at the end of the day the Ravens picked up a win and that’s what matters. The offense was absolutely humming through the first three quarters of action, and Derrick Henry finally gave the team a vintage performance. Lamar Jackson was on point, throwing just three incompletions while rushing for a TD and icing the game with clutch runs and throws in the final minutes.

The defense, though, still hasn’t proven it can play a complete game. After allowing just six points through the first three quarters of play, Zach Orr’s unit allowed 19 in the final period. Pass coverage was airtight aside from the final portion, where it looked like the team just relaxed. I liked what I saw from Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Stephens in this game, while rookie Nate Wiggins had an up-and-down day, forcing a fumble but giving up several long completions. It was an interesting choice to have him matched up against Ceedee Lamb in just his second NFL game.

Is Justin Tucker okay? He seems to be the only kicker in the league this year that’s unable to hit long field goals, and it’s hurting his team. Perhaps it’s time for the front office to start thinking about future plans… Giving up an onside kick was disappointing, as well. I don’t know why this team continues to commit so many penalties, and that’s something that John Harbaugh desperately needs to clean up.

Being able to finally close out a victory here in 2024 will do great things for the team’s confidence heading into a tough Sunday Night Football game against the Bills. A win then would put this team back at .500 and right back in the thick of the playoff race.

Darin McCann

This was… you see… what happened was… Did that just happen?

The Ravens needed a win in the worst way, and they gave us just about the worst way a team can hold on to a second-half lead. The last 10 minutes of action will sour us on what happened the rest of the game, but there were some great signs out there, particularly from some of the more-seasoned veterans. Kyle Van Noy continued his hot start with two more sacks today and Derrick Henry was everything the Ravens hoped for when they signed him.

Some stuff to like on defense, and some stuff that makes you want to re-taste your dinner.

It’s a win. A win they needed. It will probably feel better tomorrow when everything stops spinning.

Kevin McNelis

No game with a 22-point lead should ever feel that close.

The first half was more like what we wanted, and expected, to see when this season started. Henry got moving and rolled all over the Dallas defense to the tune of 100 plus and a pair of touchdowns. The O-line looked better than they had in the first two games, which brought some comfort. I wish I could reflect more on the positivity, because that 4th quarter overshadowed all of it.

Mental mistakes and stupid penalties opened the door at the beginning. Granted, some of that was awful officiating (again) gifting the Cowboys fresh sets of downs. Normally, a fanbase might not see it coming in those small moments, but Ravens fans have become acutely aware of the team’s incredible inability to close. Justin Tucker once again missed a kick, which has recently been an omen of bad things to come. The soft defensive coverage that followed (which has driven me crazy when Baltimore has the lead) allowed Dallas to march down the field and get a touchdown against a tired defense. Zay Flowers then biffed the onside kick. As a result Ar’Darius Washington suffered an injury on an ensuing drive when he should never have been on the field to begin with. The Cowboys then score again, the Ravens do absolutely nothing on offense, and then the officials continued to make it easy for the Cowboys to march down the field for a third touchdown in the quarter. Only Lamar Jackson’s slick RPO and Dallas’ inability to convert a pair of two-point tries saves Baltimore.

This game felt like a loss in so many ways. Baltimore recorded THIRTEEN penalties on the day. The secondary couldn’t stop a nosebleed at the end, probably because they all needed oxygen from being on the field the entire time. They need to get it together, like… yesterday.

Chad Racine

The rumor is that Harbaugh is going to be suggesting a rule change, that all games have only three fifteen minute periods. Seriously though are the Ravens allergic to the fourth quarter?

The Ravens dominated both sides of the ball for…..wait for it…..three quarters. The offensive line was much improved compared to weeks one and two. Part of that may be the Cowboys’ struggling interior defensive line. I think we saw what this team can be and should be moving forward. These next few games are critical.

Jared Pinder

The Ravens escape a complete meltdown on defense thanks to a amazing first half. Once again issues are really starting to hurt this team. The main problems now that the offensive line played great are these penalties and closing out games. Yes, the refs sucked today and took away two points on a safety as well as a horrible call on the roughing the passer, but you can’t be this undisciplined and win a lot of games. What is wrong with the special teams unit as well this year? The botched onside kick by Zay? Tucker can’t hit anything now? It truly was just a hurricane of crap in the second quarter that should have been an easy game to win. Up 28-6 it is inexcusable that the Cowboys were in that spot to win the game to begin with.

As far as i am concerned John’s seat is still red hot for not being able to close out these games. I mean it can’t be that hard, man.

Derek Arnold

A 28-6 lead in the fourth quarter and yet we’re still all chugging Pepto by the end of the game. How does this keep happening? At this point, it’s clearly a mental issue, despite Harbaugh’s protestations of that fact. You have a team that’s capable of completely dominating a game for three quarters, yet you once again nearly steal defeat from the jaws of victory?

It’s a systemic issue at this point, and until it stops happening – or nearly happening – on a nearly weekly basis, there’s no reason to expect anything different.

John Hughey

It truly was the tale of two halves during the Ravens’ 28-25 win over the Cowboys Sunday. Baltimore looked like a team we hadn’t seen all season when taking a 21-6 lead into halftime. Lamar and the offense seemed to be moving the ball at will, while the defense looked locked in and ready to silence the hate early on. However, the Ravens couldn’t seem to put this game out of reach in the second half. Racking up 105 yards in penalties, Baltimore continued to shoot themselves in the foot, allowing Dallas to stay alive and work a comeback late in the 4th.

Ultimately it’s a win, a step in the right direction following two heartbreaking losses to begin the year. It wasn’t the prettiest, but it’s the start the Ravens were looking for to begin a tough three-game stretch.

Ben Dackiw

Well now. Wasn’t that fun?

At some point, this song and dance has to get tiresome. I have no idea what button gets pressed between the third and fourth quarters, but this is a massive problem. There was so much urgency and domination in the first half, and then it just evaporated.

They escape. They escaped because Lamar Jackson made an excellent throw on a third down to Zay Flowers, who made an excellent catch. The Ravens won this game because their quarterback is excellent.

Derrick Henry and Justice Hill showed what a Baltimore running game can look like when everyone’s in the same page. I’m actually quite excited about what those two can do down the stretch, and Keaton Mitchell is also coming back at some point.

As a whole, this isn’t a bad roster. The only group I’m concerned about is the O-Line, because it still feels incomplete. To be fair, Faalele looked better today, and he’s certainly been the target of many strongly worded tweets lately.

John Harbaugh has long said “it wasn’t  pretty, but it’s us.”

This one should’ve been pretty.

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