NFL Week 3 live updates: Inactives, schedule, kickoff times, matchups, odds and predictions
By Jeff Zrebiec, Jon Machota, Saad Yousuf and Alex Andrejev
The Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson survived a late scare from the Dallas Cowboys to secure their first win of the season Sunday.
The Ravens’ two-time MVP quarterback threw for a touchdown and rushed for another while relying on veteran running back Derrick Henry, the four-time Pro Bowler Baltimore signed in March to further ignite their ground game. Henry added two TDs in the win.
The Cowboys lacked the same spark — even Tom Brady expressed frustration with Dallas’ offense while in the broadcast booth. Although three touchdowns in the fourth quarter kept the game close, Dallas wasn’t able to pull off the comeback and dropped to 1-2.
Ravens prove they have offensive identity
All the talk during the week was about how the Ravens lacked an offensive identity through the first two weeks. Well, they found one Sunday. The Ravens have always been at their best when they are relying heavily on their run game and getting downhill. They made it clear that was their intention and they never really swayed from it.
Jackson played another strong game, but he was never really asked to do a lot. Baltimore threw the ball just 15 times. The Ravens will need to do more through the air going forward, but with the Cowboys’ issues stopping the run, offensive coordinator Todd Monken stuck to the script Sunday. — Jeff Zrebiec, Ravens staff writer
How Baltimore rode its big back
Henry, who lives in Dallas in the offseason, had interest in signing with the Cowboys in the offseason The Cowboys, though, weren’t all that interested. Henry showed the Cowboys what they were missing, rushing for 151 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries and added a catch for 23 yards. The Ravens needed every one of those yards to close out the Cowboys. Henry now has four touchdowns in three games with his new team. — Zrebiec
Ravens still have a penalty problem
This is perhaps nitpicky in what was an otherwise dominant win for much of four quarters, but the Ravens still have a penalty problem that they need to figure out. They entered the game ranked 30th in penalties and 31st in penalty yards. They went out against the Cowboys and added 13 more penalties for 105 yards.
A few of the offensive penalties contributed to stopping Ravens drives. Some penalties are the cost of doing business, but the Ravens need to cut down on the unnecessary ones. — Zrebiec
Cowboys offense found spark, but not enough
It was a matter of too little, too late for the Cowboys’ offense. After sputtering for the better part of the first 50 minutes of the game, Dak Prescott led a fierce rally, aided by an onside kick recovery. The offense was able to march down the field, with Prescott distributing the ball evenly between his targets. There simply wasn’t enough time on the clock, though, to rebound from a slew of mistakes early in the game.
CeeDee Lamb’s fumble inside the red zone in the first half loomed large, as it wiped out a potential touchdown, but at least a field goal, which proved to be the difference in the game. Tyler Guyton’s holding penalty at the end of the first half also was the potential difference of a touchdown or field goal. The offense left too many plays on the field and asked for a lot from their struggling defense, which couldn’t give them the final stop they needed. — Saad Yousuf, Cowboys staff writer
Defensive woes sink Dallas
For the second consecutive week, the Cowboys lose and it’s on the defense. Too many open receivers, too many big runs, too many big plays allowed when the game was still up for grabs. Last week it was Alvin Kamara and Derek Carr looking like one of the best running back/quarterback duos in the league. This week it was Henry and Jackson.
Dallas’ offense did everything it could to get back in the game late. The defense had a chance to finally do its part again. Facing third-and-six with 2:18 to play, Trevon Diggs left too much cushion for Jackson to find Zay Flowers for a first down. After using all their timeouts, the Cowboys still had a chance right after the two-minute warning.
But Jackson again made a play with his feet, getting the final first down needed to run out the clock.
We know there are issues at defensive tackle, but there’s plenty of blame to go around on Dallas’ defense that reaches beyond just the middle of the defensive front. — Jon Machota, Cowboys staff writer
(Photo: Sam Hodde / Getty)
