Baltimore Ravens: Moving forward from win against Cowboys

Beating the Dallas Cowboys was a good thing for the Baltimore Ravens

As the infamous saying goes “A win is a win” but was this win against the Cowboys convincing enough to prove that the ravens will be legitimate playoff contenders against the better teams of the AFC conference?

Amid Covid challenges that the Ravens faced these past two weeks, this team played fairly well against the Cowboys on Tuesday night. There were several positive things to take away from this week 13 win.

Gus Edwards found his stride and has shown that he deserves more carries. The former University of Miami and Rutgers alum rushed for 101 yards on seven attempts. In a backfield with three quality running backs,  Gus has proven that he should become a vital piece to this offense.

The ground game has been the focal point of this team, dating back to last season when the Ravens rushed for the most rushing yards in NFL history. On Tuesday night, they seemed to pick right back to speed. J.K. Dobbins rushed for 71 yards on 11 carries and Jackson managed to pick up 94 with his feet.

The offensive line deserves much more credit than they have received all season. After a few tough weeks of taking the blame for unsuccessful snapping woes and not being able to get the run game going, seeing the offensive line group dominate the Cowboys’ front seven was very encouraging.

Looking forward:

To win games, you must be able to be successful in the run game. The Ravens have shown that their identity is to punch opponents in the face and win the ground war. This only leads you to ask the question if the Ravens are one-dimensional?

Yes, the running game is crucial in having a successful football team especially in the playoffs but to win Lamar Jackson has to be consistent with his arm. As of now, the Ravens are not a playoff seeded team. The Ravens have to be just as good in the passing game as they are on the ground.

Yes, Jackson had an efficient game throwing for 107 yards on 12 of 17 passes. It looks good on the stat sheet but there were times when Jackson did not deliver accurate passes. I’ll give Jackson the benefit of the doubt that he missed a game on the Covid-19 list. Right now It is “win or go home” time for the Ravens and they need the passing game to be perfect especially against a quality opponent that isn’t the Cowboys.

For the Ravens to make the playoffs they need to win these last four games. Three out of the four opponents do not have winning records. The odds are in the favor of the Ravens to make the playoffs and Jackson has to show up.