Dallas Cowboys 17-34 Baltimore Ravens: Lamar Jackson leads Ravens to dominant victory
Baltimore (7-5) end three-game losing streak as Cowboys (3-9) slide further out of contention - Week 14 gets underway on Sky Sports NFL with the LA Rams hosting the New England Patriots on Thursday night (1.15am)
Wednesday 9 December 2020 11:55, UK
Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens put their recent troubles behind them to return to winning ways with a dominant 34-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
After a miserable couple of weeks on the field, the Ravens had slid out of the playoff picture - four defeats from their previous five games has seen them slip behind Cleveland (9-3) and Pittsburgh (11-1) in the AFC North.
However, off-the-field issues have taken priority over the past fortnight as the franchise dealt with an outbreak of Covid-19 that saw 23 players spend time on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Back in action after a 15-day layoff, Jackson directed a relentless rushing attack that the Ravens hope will be the first big step in a run to the playoffs. They ran up a huge 294 yards in rushing to get their season back on track and finally bring Week 13 to a close on Tuesday night.
Baltimore still have six players on the COVID-19 list, while recent recruit and former Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant could join them after writing on Twitter that he tested positive for COVID-19, having left the field during warm-ups, being scratched with what Baltimore termed an illness.
- Ravens stats: Lamar Jackson, 12/17, 107 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
- Rushing leader: Gus Edwards, 7 carries, 101 yards
- Receiving leader: Marquise Brown, five catches, 39 yards, 1 TD
The game was played on Tuesday night because Baltimore's previous game against the Pittsburgh Steelers last Wednesday was pushed back three times while the Ravens had at least one player test positive for 10 consecutive days.
Jackson threw for two touchdowns and just 107 yards as the Ravens returned to their running game that dazzled last year. Jackson accounted for 94 yards and a touchdown, while J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram were back having also spent time on the Covid-19 list.
Gus Edwards ran for 101 yards on just seven carries and rookie Dobbins added 71 yards rushing and a TD to help Baltimore (7-5) break a three-game losing run and stay alive in their quest to reach the postseason for a third straight year.
Dallas came in with the worst rush defense in the league, and it showed. The Ravens averaged a huge 7.9 yards per carry and prevailed despite getting only 107 yards passing from Jackson.
The Cowboys (3-9) have lost six of seven and sit bottom of the NFC East and sit two games behind both Washington and the New York Giants (both 5-7) - the league's most unlikely race for a playoff spot.
The Cowboys still have slim hope themselves but will need to win all of their final four games and hope the other teams in the league falter.
Andy Dalton continued his return by completing 31 of 48 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns as the Cowboys chased the game after the first quarter, with Ezekiel Elliott rushing for 77 yards.
- Cowboys stats: Andy Dalton, 31/48, 285 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
- Rushing leader: Ezekiel Elliott, 18 carries, 77 yards
- Receiving leader: Michael Gallup, seven catches, 86 yards, 1 TD
On his first series following his unwanted week off, Jackson threw a pass that was tipped and intercepted. That led to a Dallas field goal, but Jackson answered with a 37-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-2 play before Michael Gallup gave the Cowboys the lead.
Having led 10-7 after the first quarter, Dallas saw Myles Boykin's 38-yard score following an interception by Patrick Queen give the Ravens the lead but Greg Zuerlein missed the first of three field goals that would have reduced the deficit to a single point.
When a field goal of their own was all the Ravens could manage in return, Zuerlein missed the chance to draw within four with his attempt from 53 yards and then Jackson found Marquise Brown in the endzone as the hosts continued to pull away.
Zuerlein's 52-yard miss at the end of the third quarter would have reduced the arrears to 11 but instead, with the ball in their hands, the Ravens ate up six minutes of the clock in the final quarter for a Justin Tucker field goal to make the contest a two-score game.
Dalton found Amari Copper for one final Cowboys score as they continued to show their battling qualities, but fittingly after a dominant showing on the ground, Dobbins iced the game when he ran in from five yards out.
Sky Sports NFL is your dedicated channel for NFL coverage through the season - featuring a host of NFL Network programming, a new weekly preview show as well as at least five games a week and NFL Redzone, you won't miss a moment. Don't forget to follow us on skysports.com/nfl, our Twitter account @SkySportsNFL & Sky Sports - on the go!
