NFL - Ravens win over Cowboys at Dallas

By Cindy Ferguson

The Baltimore Ravens surprised everyone this Saturday when they outplayed the Dallas Cowboys with a result of 33-24. The game was played equally and it even seemed like the Cowboys had the control of it. However, the Dallas team vanished for the second time in three weeks and while they can still get an NFC wild-card spot, this defeat makes it harder to get.

The Cowboys are facing Philadelphia next Sunday and they need a victory there. This Dallas' failure secured a playoff spot for the Carolina Panthers.

Nevertheless, the game started with a touchdown by the Cowboy player Tashard Choice, putting things 7-0. But later, Baltimore took the lead 16-7 on Stover's kicks and a touchdown by Derrick Mason. Ravens’ quarterback, Flacco was 17-of-25 for 149 yards and was kicked out five times. But Dallas couldn't control completely the game, mostly because Romo didn’t do his job well in the first three quarters. His bad executions and difficulties appeared to be more due to Baltimore’s defense than anything else. Romo ended with 24-of-45 for 252 yards, with two first-half interceptions and two touchdowns.

On the other hand, Matt Stover kicked four field goals for the Ravens and McGahee and McClain scored a 77-yard and an 82-yard respectively and both of them did it 18 seconds after a Dallas touchdown. McClain ended with 22 carries meant for 139 yards and McGahee enclosed eight carries for 108 yards. The Ravens led after three periods, but matched Dallas point for point in the fourth quarter in which both teams scored two touchdowns and a field goal.

This game was also the culmination of the Dallas Cowboys stadium, which will close its doors and will be replaced with a new one in Arlington, Texas for next season. This defeat means that the expectations to win the last home game and secure a spot in the NFC that fans, coaches and players had, were smashed by Baltimore. The Ravens made key plays that supported their win at the end, especially the last touchdowns and their stronger defense.

With this defeat, Dallas Cowboys also busted every possibility of wrapping up a playoff place by Monday. The Cowboys need a victory against Philadelphia on the 28th just to have an option to get a wild-card berth in the NFC. If Dallas does not reach the playoffs after having such a good season last year, they don’t have anyone else to blame but themselves. For some people, this season and this loss have been the worst for the franchise history, as they currently hold a record of 9-6.

For their part, the Ravens have survived these past five games by winning 4 of them; they are 7th in the NFL league standings and 6th in the AFC. As for the Cowboys, they are in 6th place of the NFC standings and 10th overall in the league.

We hope that even with this game result, both teams achieve the playoffs. We know these are two great teams and even with their ups and downs, both have fought throughout the whole season. We hope the best for these two teams this final games. Baltimore will face Jacksonville at home and Dallas will play against the Eagles in Philadelphia.

About the Author
Cindy Ferguson is a high-ranking sports writer, currently writing reviews on NFL Football for the sports betting industry. Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety on your site, make sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.