The Streak Continues as the Dallas Cowboys top the Ravens 27-17
By Reid Hanson
The Dallas Cowboys impressive 2016 season gets more historic by the day, this time setting a record winning streak of nine games.
The Dallas Cowboys are still the only one-loss team in the NFL as they top the Baltimore Ravens 27-17. The Ravens certainly were no cake walk for the favorited Cowboys. They brought their top-ranked run defense to Big D and insisted that Ezekiel Elliott earn every last yard.
Zeke, the NFL’s leading rusher, kept chugging along finding intermittent success on the ground and supplementing missing yardage though the air. The Dallas Cowboys offense started slowly with Dak Prescott misfiring passes to otherwise open receivers. Things settled down and Dez Bryant took over scoring two important TDs.
Now for some Quick Takes from the Sport DFW staff:
Stephen Francis
This was a really good win for the Cowboys. Something happened late in the second quarter after Dak Prescott connected with Cole Beasley. This play tied the game and finally put Dallas on the board after what had been a really slow start for the offense. From there, the Cowboys looked like they were in cruise control.
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It’s time to stop talking about Rod Marinelli’s defensive unit as a weakness. Dak finished strong and made some big plays, but the defense was consistent all afternoon. They held Ravens running back Terrance West to just 42 yards. Kenneth Dixon did manage 40 of his own in the game on six carries, but half of them came on one run. Overall, the defense held strong and was the reason Dak and company were in a great position to get back into it.
Dink Kearney
The Dallas Cowboys won their ninth game in a row against the stingy defense of the Baltimore Ravens. In the first half, the Cowboys looked out of sync as the Ravens front seven stopped the run and had Dak off target with his passes.
But Dallas regrouped after halftime as Dak Prescott caught fire and torched the Ravens secondary with over 300 yards passing and three touchdowns. Dak played with poise and dissected the Ravens with precise passes while converting third downs at will.
Dak has the “it factor”. After watching Dak play against the best defense in the NFL, I definitely understand why the Cowboys made him the permanent starter! Dak gets it, never succumbing to bad play or an aggressive defense like the Ravens .
Dez Bryant is regaining his form as one of the best receivers in the game as he scored two touchdowns and was one of eight receivers to catch a pass by Dak.
Zeke Elliott didn’t score any touchdowns but he rushed for 97 yards and had over 30 receiving yards. Zeke’s versatility was an issue for the Ravens defense because they couldn’t focus on just stopping the run.
The Cowboys defense played better in the second half as it sacked Ravens QB Joe Flacco and was able to force a few three and outs. The major concern is the Cowboys pass rush. It needs more sacks, although it’s getting better overall as unit.
This Dallas Cowboys team keeps proving the critics wrong with each convincing victory. Dallas is for real. With Dak as the Field General, Dallas can beat any team in the NFL.
Dan Ruppert
Dak started poorly. He overthrew a ton early and it looked like would be a long day. As the game wore on he looked more and more comfortable. Dallas’ game plan was to beat the Ravens through the air, and they did just that.
Next: Cowboys Chat: Romo Trade Value?
The Cowboys play on a short week, but there is no reason to believe part of the reason they didn’t burn out Elliot is they will lean heavily on him Thursday. The Cowboys continue to bend but never break. On to Thanksgiving!