Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens quickly responded to their first 0-2 start since he became their franchise quarterback.
The two-time MVP made a couple of important plays late in the game when the Ravens were at risk of losing a big lead in the fourth quarter.
Derrick Henry rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns, while Jackson accounted for two scores, helping the Ravens secure a 28-25 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
The Ravens (1-2) scored touchdowns on their first two drives and led 28-6 before Dak Prescott and the Cowboys made a strong comeback late, aided by a rare onside kick recovery.
Baltimore was close to having to give the ball back to the Cowboys (1-2) while only leading by three points when Jackson made a crucial completion to Zay Flowers.
Jackson sealed the game with a clever fake, leading to a 10-yard run as the Ravens finished with 274 rushing yards. This is the most Dallas has allowed since they gave up at least 294 yards twice during one of the worst defensive seasons in franchise history in 2020.
The Ravens, who had recently played in the AFC championship game and lost to Super Bowl champion Kansas City, faced an 0-2 record for the first time since 2015, three years before they drafted Jackson. Since 2000, only one team has made the playoffs after starting 0-3.
“Every game is a big game for us because we’re trying to get somewhere,” Jackson said. “We’ve got to win these games to get to the playoffs, and we need to get to the Super Bowl. But it starts with the game that’s in front of us.”
The Cowboys have given up 120 points in their last three home games, including a 48-32 wild-card loss to Green Bay in January that ended Dallas’ 16-game winning streak at AT&T Stadium.
Brandon Aubrey kicked a 65-yard field goal for the Cowboys, just 1 yard shy of the NFL record set in 2021 by Baltimore’s Justin Tucker.
Just like in last week’s 44-19 loss to New Orleans, the Cowboys needed more than field goals because of their weak defense.
The touchdowns finally came for Dallas, but they were just a bit too late.
Prescott scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak midway through the fourth quarter, and C.J. Griffin recovered the onside kick. Jalen Tolbert then caught a 15-yard touchdown pass, making the score 28-18, but the Cowboys missed their second 2-point conversion attempt.
Flowers recovered Dallas’ second onside kick after missing the first, but the Ravens went three-and-out.
The Cowboys kicked deep after KaVontae Turpin caught a 16-yard touchdown pass, cutting the deficit to three. Then Jackson completed a 9-yard pass to Flowers on third-and-6, followed by a run that took up the final 2:53 of the game.
“Lamar was just phenomenal,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “Didn’t really want to get to that situation, but we did, and we came through.”
Dallas lost consecutive home games in the same regular season for the first time since 2020, after Prescott suffered a serious ankle injury in Week 5 of a 6-10 season.
“Make sure guys don’t dwell,” Prescott said after leaving a quiet, frustrated locker room. “They can feel bad tonight, but come the morning, it’s over with.
If you’re dwelling on that, you’re not going to prepare the right way. You’re still going to be looking back at things you could have done, should have done.”
Nelson Agholor made a 56-yard catch-and-run to set up Henry’s first touchdown, a 1-yard dive that gave the Ravens a 14-3 lead.
The Ravens started with a five-play, 71-yard drive that ended with Jackson’s 9-yard run, untouched, to the pylon. His first pass of the game was a 30-yarder to open tight end Charlie Kolar.
Henry, who averaged 6 yards on 25 carries, became the first Baltimore running back to score at least one touchdown in each of his first three games with the franchise. He also added a 23-yard catch.
A two-time rushing champion during his eight seasons with Tennessee, Henry scored on a 26-yard run, extending the lead to 28-6 on the first drive of the second half.
Jackson completed 12 of 15 passes for 182 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman, who was wide open in the end zone. He also rushed for 87 yards.
The late surge from Dallas had Prescott at 28 of 51 for 379 yards and two touchdowns, but once again, he didn’t get any support from a weak running game, which averaged just 3.2 yards per carry.
The Cowboys fell too far behind against a team that focuses on defense and running the ball.
“You definitely want to get in front of that team,” Dallas coach Mike McCarthy said. “That’s a team that plays to their strength and their profile. We were not clean enough to get the win today.”
