Ravens Rise: Key Takeaways From Baltimore’s Thrilling First Win Against the Cowboys
After having their way with the Dallas Cowboys defense in Week Three on the road, the Baltimore Ravens managed to escape another late-game collapse in the fourth quarter at Jerry World in the Lone Star State and earned their first victory of the 2024 NFL season. The Ravens went into their game against the Cowboys hoping to avoid falling to 0-3, which would have made it harder for them to get out of in order to qualify for the postseason. After joining Baltimore this offseason after playing his first eight seasons with the Tennessee Titans, running back Derrick Henry had his breakthrough performance leading the Ravens to victory. Following the Ravens' first win of the season, some noteworthy defensive and offensive takeaways should be examined and discussed. Let’s break it down.
Derrick Henry Remains a Threat
Before the season began, some in the NFL community questioned whether Henry, a future Hall of Famer who signed with the Ravens this offseason after finishing last season in Tennessee with over 1,000 rushing yards for the fifth time in his career, would experience the usual decline in production that occurs to running backs after turning 30 years old. In a game that delighted the Ravens, the two-time NFL rushing yards leader showed why he is a different player at the running back position. On 25 carries, Henry rushed for a season-high 151 yards and two touchdowns, making Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones regret not signing him in free agency, as Henry trains and lives in Dallas during the offseason. After watching Saints running back Alvin Kamara dominate the Cowboys in Week Two, rushing for 115 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries, head coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Todd Monken were pleased with Henry's breakthrough performance and wanted to capitalize on a weak Cowboys' rush defense.
Closing Out Games Remains an Issue
It appeared as though quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens would easily defeat the Cowboys after the first three quarters. However, the Ravens' inability to put an opponent on the ropes while leading in the fourth quarter and finish games that they shouldn't have to make a nail-biting experience for Ravens fans is an ongoing problem that has persisted throughout the last few seasons. All of this began when kicker Justin Tucker, a seven-time Pro Bowler, uncharacteristically missed a 46-yard field goal to give the Cowboys excellent field position. Since the beginning of last season, Tucker has struggled with field goal attempts beyond 50 yards, going just one for seven on those attempts.
The Ravens' defense allowed three straight touchdown drives by the Cowboys' offense, led by quarterback Dak Prescott, as the Ravens began to find ways to allow the Cowboys back into the game after the missed field goal. Additionally, the Cowboys' onside kick recovery, which initiated the three touchdown drives, resulted from wide receiver Zay Flowers' inability to secure the ball and having it bounce off him and being recovered by the Cowboys. The Ravens have a first-place schedule this season and will play the Buffalo Bills and the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals over the next two weeks. The Ravens will need to be able to consistently close out games and avoid late-game collapses, which have seemed to have become a systematic issue over the past three seasons.
Nate Wiggins’ Impactful Performance
With the 30th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, general manager Eric DeCosta of the Ravens selected versatile rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins, another product from Clemson. After being limited in the season opener against the Chiefs and missing Week Two due to a car accident that caused neck and concussion concerns during the previous two weeks, Wiggins was hoping to finally have a chance to show off his play-making abilities and have a significant influence on important games. With the lights as bright as possible inside AT&T Stadium, Wiggins lived up to those expectations against the Cowboys and was a major factor in the Ravens' victory. Most notably, Wiggins made a clutch play to knock the ball out of Cowboys' star receiver CeeDee Lamb's hands during the Cowboys' third drive of the game in the second quarter. This resulted in a fumble, which was recovered by Ravens safety Marcus Williams, preventing the Cowboys from scoring a possible touchdown during the drive. Furthermore, Wiggins and the Ravens' secondary were charged with stopping Lamb, another outstanding wide receiver, and they mainly succeeded in doing so, allowing Lamb to register just four receptions for 67 yards and no touchdowns. As he gets more playing time and is more at ease in defensive coordinator Zach Orr's scheme, Wiggins is progressing toward being one of the NFL's best pass-breakup cornerbacks.
