4 things we learned from Ravens’ vindicating Week 3 win over Cowboys

Some questions were answered while others came into focus on Sunday.

There were numerous revealing takeaways from the Baltimore Ravens’ 28-25 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday evening in Week 3 of the 2024 regular season.

Justin when it seemed like this game was on the precipice of unraveling in a similar heart-breaking fashion to so many of their frustrating defeats in recent years, the Ravens didn’t let it and finally found a finish. Instead of it being just the latest double-digit lead to get blown in the fourth quarter, they stopped the Cowboys from completing their furious comeback to secure their first victory of the season.

Despite this game getting too close for comfort late, the Ravens didn’t let it completely spiral or snowball out of control even after the officials kept giving the Cowboys new life late in the fourth quarter. There were several encouraging performances by players and units on both sides of the ball that were vital in securing this victory.

Here are four of the main things that can be learned from Sunday’s long-awaited triumph.

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Lamar Jackson delivers in the clutch

The hot-take sports talk shows and outspoken critics of the reigning league MVP will need to find something else to talk about this week. Not only did he have another fantastic performance with 269 yards of total offense and a pair of touchdowns—one rushing and one passing—Jackson made a pair of crucial plays the team needed to secure their first victory of the season.

“I thought Lamar was just phenomenal throughout the game and then took over the last drive,” head coach John Harbaugh said.

Needing to pick up a couple of first downs to ice the game and ensure the Cowboys didn’t get a chance to potentially drive for a game-tying field goal or potential game-winning touchdown, Jackson connected with wide receiver Zay Flowers on third down on the Ravens’ side of the field for a first down. It was a redeeming play for Flowers who failed to corral the ball on the Cowboys’ successful onside kick attempt. Two plays later, he pulled the ball from Flowers’ grasp late on a read option and slashed up the middle for a 10-yard to move the chains for the last time.

“We need to get a first down. They were making good plays – the opposing team’s defense – and we were getting short gains here and there, but we were getting positive yards,” Jackson said. “I believe [we got] four yards [on the] first one, one yard here, two yards here, and it was like, ‘We’ve got to make something happen.’ Coach [Todd Monken] called a good play, [and I] threw it to Zay [Flowers]; Zay made a great catch, and [Dallas] wasted their timeout. The rest is history.”

Ravens can’t afford to let off the gas

Through the first three-quarters of this game, there was no doubt who the better team was and who the victor almost certainly was going to be as the Ravens had built up a 28-6 lead. They were dominating the Cowboys on both sides of the ball with a punishing ground game, timely passes on offense and suffocating defense that featured a relentless and potent pass rush coupled with tight coverage where the secondary was contesting everything.

However, in the fourth quarter, the Ravens were outscored by 19, with their only scoring opportunity being a Justin Tucker field goal attempt from 46 yards out that he missed. A common theme in many of the incomprehensible blown leads this team has given up over the past few years is that they took their collective foot off the gas when they felt victory was well in hand. By the time they realized that it wasn’t, they were either trailing and needing to make a comeback of their own or set up the opposing team to deliver a last-minute or sometimes even last-second dagger to steal a win.

While they were able to stop history from repeating itself on Sunday, they know that it shouldn’t have ever gotten that close. Even if it means running up the score in unsportsmanlike fashion at times, they can’t afford to give opposing teams they jump out on a sliver of hope that they could claw their way back into contention.

“We’ve been in those situations [for] years in the past – when we go up [to] halftime, come back, and we lose [after] we’re up 35-14 and stuff like that,” Jackson said. “I believe [that] we’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing [from] the first half [and] just keep putting our guys on the [field] and keep the defense guessing. I believe that we’re going to be in these situations.”

On offense, they need to keep pouring it on by hammering what was working so well early on and playing with the same level of urgency as they did on their first few masterful drives to open this game. Defensively, keeping the pressure on by playing the same aggressive style that stifled the Cowboys for the first 45 minutes of game time and not panicking or losing composure if and when things get tight late by dialing up blitzes that leave open windows in zone coverage and not tackling well in space.

Ravens didn’t let opposing star players take over

In their first two losses to start the season, the Ravens struggled to keep the best players on both sides of the ball for their opponents from having hugely impactful performances that featured momentum-shifting and ultimately game-winning plays in crunch time or just when the Ravens appeared to be in control.

On defense, Zach Orr’s unit didn’t allow an opposing pass catcher to reach or eclipse 100 receiving yards for the first time this season although tight end Jake Ferguson came up just five yards shy. They did an excellent collective job not letting three-time Pro Bowl and First Team All Pro wide receiver Ceedee Lamb have a big day by limiting him to four receptions on seven targets for 67 receiving yards, no touchdowns and a key red zone fumble.

Offensively, Todd Monken’s unit faced elite pass rushers in back-to-back weeks and struggled mightily to prevent them from wrecking their game plan and derailing key drives. They faced a third straight multi-time Pro Bowler and one of the most explosive edge defenders in the league on Sunday with Micah Parsons and didn’t let that awful trend continue as he was held without a sack and recorded his team’s only quarterback hit.

The right side of the offensive line—guard Daniel Faalele and tackle Patrick Mekari—had been the main culprit in their struggles and the target for opposing teams to try to exploit, stepped up in a major way as Jackson wasn’t sacked once for the first time this season. Monken had a great opening script and overall approach to this game with how he stayed committed to the run and dialed up a lot more under-center play-action which helped the lineman and slowed down Parsons.

“At the end of the day, [Daniel Faalele] is getting paid to do what he’s supposed to do, and he busted his behind each and every time,” Jackson said. “It’s not like he’s trying to mess up. All of us make mistakes out there on that field. But, he came in clutch for us today, and I want the same people who were giving him that doubt to praise him and give him that credit for what he deserves.”

Derrick Henry had one hell of a homecoming

While the four-time Pro Bowler calls Baltimore home during the season, he moved to Dallas during the offseason and after the Cowboys opted not to pursue him free agency back in March, he showed them exactly what they missed out on with his first monster game as a Raven. Henry’s workload and productivity have increased in each of the past two weeks and Sunday marked not only his first time receiving 20-plus carries but it resulted in his first 100-plus rushing yard game as well as he finished with 25 carries for a season-high 151 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

“I hold myself to a high standard,” Henry said. “I definitely wanted to come out here and be able to have an impact to give us a chance to win by the way I played. I feel like the first two weeks I kind of got going a little slow. But like I said, we’re all tied in together, and we all just want to come out here and execute and be able to win – and we did that today. Being in Dallas – this is where the offseason is [for me and] where I spend most of my time in the offseason. It felt a little good today for sure.”

As has been the case throughout his illustrious Hall of Fame career, he got stronger as the game went on and on the first drive of the third quarter, he carried the ball three times for 58 yards including a pair of 20-plus-yard rumbles, the second of which resulted in a 26-yard touchdown.

Sunday’s game was a shining example of how dangerous and potent the Ravens’ rushing attack can be when both Jackson and Henry are rolling and they stay committed to it. They both averaged 6-plus yards per carry and were able to keep the defense on their toes in the read-option game. Henry finished with 174 yards from scrimmage on 26 total touches after as he hauled in his lone target for 23 receiving yards on a half-back screen.

“I think we blocked really well, and I think Derrick ran really well, and I think Lamar caused a problem for [the Cowboys] too, because they had to defend Lamar as well,” Harbaugh said. “You saw Lamar getting out and going the other way. He read all of those plays really well. Some of those plays are read, some of them aren’t. So, this combination [of Lamar Jackson & Derrick Henry] that’s sitting right here in this room, is a tough one to defend.”