ARLINGTON, Texas — Lather, rinse, repeat. The Dallas Cowboys have played another horrid first half on their home field, for the third straight game. The Baltimore Ravens lead Dallas 21-6 at halftime, as both the Cowboys offense and defense have failed to succeed at just about anything through the first 30 minutes.
The Cowboys' defense got off to an awful start once again, as the Ravens offense got basically no resistance at all on their first two drives. Baltimore went 71 yards in just five plays to start the game, capped off by a 9-yard touchdown run from Lamar Jackson. And on the next Ravens possession, Jackson hit Nelson Agholor for a 56-yard catch and run, to set up a one-yard touchdown run from Derrick Henry, and a 14-3 Baltimore lead.
Those two drives were sandwiched around a 65-yard field goal from Brandon Aubrey, to at least pay off some of the Cowboys' offensive work. But so far, the Cowboys have struggled in every facet.
Three penalties on their first possession of the game, after they made the unorthodox decision to receive the opening kickoff, led to a quick punt. Dallas had 19 penalty yards on the possession, to outpace their 17 yards of offense.
The drive leading to Aubrey's long field goal amassed just 24 yards in 7 plays, to get them to the very edge of field goal range.
And on the Cowboys' third possession, they showed their most promising sequence of the day, to drive down into the redzone on a 60-yard drive spanning seven plays. But on that seventh play, CeeDee Lamb made a catch over the middle and then was immediately stripped of the ball. Baltimore pounced on top and stymied the Cowboys again.
The Cowboys' defense finally found a response of some kind on the next Ravens possession, managing to finally bow up and get a stop on a Ravens 3rd & 8, to get off the field and force a punt. Baltimore would pin Dallas at their own 7 with a very nice punt from Jordan Stout. Three plays later, Dallas narrowly avoided a safety, as an illegal touching penalty happened just outside their own endzone.
The Cowboys defense got a second consecutive stop, as they actually turned a 3 & out on the next Baltimore possession. But the Cowboys offense again couldn't do anything with it, as a swing pass from Prescott missed Ezekiel Elliott badly, ending a 6-play, 21-yard possession.
And then, whatever progress it seemed the Cowboys' defense had made on the prior two possessions was undone on the next Ravens drive, as Derrick Henry and Justice Hill gashed them time and again. Jackson would cap the drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman, to take a 21-3 lead with:25 left in the half.
The Cowboys did manage to get into field goal range for Aubrey in those final 25 seconds, setting up a 51-yard field goal to cut the lead to 15 at the break.
Dallas' unusual choice to receive the opening kickoff after winning the coin toss means that Baltimore has the first possession of the third quarter. If the defense can't get a stop, you might as well spend the rest of your Sunday afternoon mowing the lawn.
