Offensive standouts from Ravens blowout win over Cowboys

The Baltimore Ravens got back on track and ended their three-game losing streak with a 34-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday night at M&T Bank Stadium. They rushed for a season-high 294 yards on offense and bent but didn’t break on defense.

Here are some of the offensive standouts from their crucial Week 13 victory:

QB Lamar Jackson

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs the ball for a first half touchdown during an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

The reigning league MVP shook off some early rust which is expected after recovering from COVID and only having two light practices heading into the game and looked as dynamic as ever with his impressive three-touchdown performance.

Jackson finished second on the team in rushing with 94 yards on 13 carries and scored a 37-yard touchdown after keeping the ball on a zone-read where he went untouched down the heart of Dallas’ defense.

He only passed 17 times and completed 12 attempts for 107 yards, but after throwing an interception on his first series, he went on to throw a pair of touchdowns including a perfectly placed 20-yard strike to Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown in the back-left corner of the end zone.

RB Gus Edwards

The often-over-looked unsung hero of Baltimore’s backfield had yet another great game and wound up leading the team in rushing on the night with 101 yards on just seven carries for a gaudy 14.4 yards per carry average.

Edwards continues to make the most of his limited opportunities and showed that he is more than just a second-half closer and goal-line/short-yardage specialist. He gashed the Cowboys defense for three runs of 20 plus yards including a long of 36 and he had a pair of seven-yarders as well.

RB J.K. Dobbins

The ascending rookie led all of Baltimore’s running backs in offensive snaps and carries in this game. He also recorded 70 or more yards and scored a touchdown on the ground in each of his last two games by picking up 71 yards on 11 carries against the Cowboys. His five-yard touchdown jaunt late in the fourth quarter was the final nail in the coffin to put the game out of reach.

Dobbins continues to look like the team’s second-most consistently explosive playmaker on the offensive side of the ball behind Jackson. He broke several tackles and ripped off a long run of 30 yards just before halftime to set the Ravens up in field goal range and eventually extend their lead to seven points.

WR Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown

The second-year speedster flashed the playmaking potential becoming of a former first-round pick for a second week in a row. He followed up a late explosive outing against the Steelers with a solid performance against the Cowboys.

Brown led the team in targets, receptions, and yards on Tuesday by hauling in five of the eight passes thrown his way for 39 yards. He also scored his fourth touchdown of the season and second in consecutive weeks.

On the aforementioned 20-yard pinpoint strike from his quarterback, Brown tracked the ball in the air excellently and made an incredible effort to ensure that he got both of his feet down in bounds after securing the catch by getting his left foot down first before dragging his right in a prime example of what “toe-drag-swag” looks like at its best.

Offensive Line

None of the offensive skill players that are featured in this article would have been able to have the standout performances they did without the dominance of Baltimore’s offensive line from the starters to the extra linemen that came on the field in heavy formations.

The Ravens dominated in the trenches offensively by owning the line of scrimmage and overwhelming Dallas’ defensive front at the point of attack. They paved the way for the most dominant and productive rushing production in a single of this or last year’s record-breaking season.

Baltimore’s offensive line wasn’t just outstanding in run blocking, they were excellent in pass protection as well. While the Cowboys’ defense is historically horrendous, they still possess a stable of talented pass rushers with veteran defensive ends Aldon Smith and Demarcus Lawrence. Despite that fact, the Ravens didn’t surrender a single sack for the first time all season.

Honorable mentions:

FB Patrick Ricard

The converted defensive lineman turned Pro Bowl fullback was one of many Ravens players that made their triumphant return from contracting COVID-19 in the team’s big win and he played a large part in the dominant rushing effort and even contributed as a pass-catcher.

Ricard made several key blocks to spring Jackson and the running backs for chunk run after chunk run. He also reeled in both of his targets in the passing game for 11 yards highlighted by a nine-yarder that he finished off by trucking a Cowboys’ safety Xavier Woods out of bounds.

WR Miles Boykin

Many fans and pundits have been down on the second-year receiver who the team took in the third round last year, but he showed just how impactful he can be in this game albeit against the Cowboys defense.

Boykin’s ability as a downfield blocker and key cog in the running game is well documented and he continued to do so at a high level. However, the primary function of a wide receiver is to catch passes and even though he only caught one, he made the most of it by sprinting to the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown after he was left wide open thanks to blown coverage.

He was targeted two other times but Jackson was off the mark on a crossing route when he had a step on the nearest defender and threw the ball into the turf near his feet after he uncovered in the back of the end zone for what would’ve been his second touchdown. Boykin is getting open and playing well, the ball coming his way just aren’t always on target.

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