Coming into this matchup against the Ravens, there were plenty of questions about whether the Cowboys could generate any type of rushing attack to help their offense. During the week, Garrett made the decision to play with "12" personnel and mixed it up by including fullback Lawrence Vickers.
The offensive line, with Phil Costa back at center, was able to open up holes that we have not seen since the Giants game. All of the Cowboys running backs were able to rush with a purpose, and like last week against the Chiefs, the Ravens really didn't have a good answer to slow Dallas down.
The Ravens might be struggling to stop the run, but you have to give this offensive line a lot of credit. They were much more physical than the Ravens. This line has heard for the last three games that they are not good, but today against a physical front, they played well enough to win this football game.
Defensively, Rob Ryan's group needed one more stop, but was not able to get it done. The Ravens were able to drive the ball and put the Cowboys in a hole. Going into the game, this was going to be about how the Dallas defense handled Baltimore running back Ray Rice, but where Rice hurt the Cowboys was actually catching the ball and not running it.
I really thought for the most part that the front seven held up well against a good Ravens offensive line. This was a group that, on film, really did a nice job of creating lanes for Rice and the Baltimore running backs to get through. But for the most part, the Cowboys were able to hold Rice in check and didn't allow him to take over the game.
Joe Flacco has come a long way for the Ravens and is no longer a bus-driver quarterback. He was able to make some quality throws when he needed them the most, and the Cowboys didn't get that one turnover that he usually has in a game.
Special teams played a huge role in this game, both good and bad. The good was the recovery of the onside kick that gave them a chance to win the game. The bad was allowing Jacoby Jones to return a kickoff an NFL record-tying 108 yards for a touchdown.
Dan Bailey's field-goal attempt was a tough one with the way the wind was swirling and the distance that he had to drive the ball. But, we have all grown use to Bailey getting those kicks home.
Baltimore is a difficult place to play and a difficult team to face, but in the end, the Cowboys didn't finish the game.
