For the second week in a row, a slow start doomed the Dallas Cowboys. The Baltimore Ravens got their running game going early, and the Cowboys had no answer for it. The Cowboys had chances to sustain drives and put points on the board, but a sluggish first half gave the Ravens a head start they wouldn’t yield. That said, there were flashes of good football despite another preseason loss and cause for concern after the defeat to Baltimore. Here are three major takeaways from the game.
The running game is bad on both sides
Miles Sanders
didn’t have a great showing against the Ravens. He bobbled a toss that was nearly a fumble, and he had seven carries for 15 yards. What makes that worse is that he was the Cowboys’ leading rusher for the night. The much-anticipated debut of Tyler Booker was as expected from a player of his caliber, but he couldn’t save the rushing attack for the Cowboys. His replacements, Deuce Vaughn and Phil Mafah, had worse efficiency, totaling 8 carries for 18 yards combined. You can’t blame balance this week either. The Cowboys ran the ball 20 times and threw it 23 times for almost an even split. Whether it’s the backup tackles, tight ends, or otherwise, the Cowboys have a lot to work on to have a better running game by the preseason finale on Friday.
Defensively, the numbers are a little skewed to seem better than they are, but Dallas still allowed the Ravens to run for almost 150 yards on the ground. Mazi Smith played a sizable chunk of the game, and at times, he was slow off the snap and pushed far beyond the line to gain by the opposing offensive line. Jay Toia also could have put on a better performance, but overall, the interior defensive line was just not adequate enough.
Solid showing from the linebackers and a few others on defense
The linebackers had a pretty good day, all things considered. Yes, the Cowboys’ run defense needs to improve, and the Ravens had their way up front, getting push on the interior offensive line. However, the linebackers did a great job of playing downhill and flowing to the ball. That position group played well in space and did their best to support where the interior defensive line was lacking.
Shemar James and Damone Clark were the highlights of the linebacker group. Between both of them, they combined for 13 tackles, with nine of them being of the solo type. Whether it was Clark or James, both of them were all over the field. On one occasion, James did a great job of blowing up a screen pass to D’Ernest Johnson. As for Clark, he did a great job of pursuing the ball carrier laterally to string out running plays horizontally. The coaching staff seems to have a renewed faith in Clark after he was in the doghouse for much of the 2024 season. Meanwhile, James, as a fifth-round pick, should surely work into the rotation as a reserve linebacker.
Also, Tyrus Wheat was a disruptive force throughout the night. One sequence in particular where the Cowboys needed a goal-line stand, Wheat made some nice plays on first, second, and third down to stop the run before the defense unfortunately gave up a touchdown on fourth down. Wheat was at it again when he flushed Devin Leary out of the pocket to force the Ravens into a field goal on 4th down.
James Houston was also terrific. Coming off the edge, he was a menace and played with violent hands through the offensive tackle. One rep, he blasted through Carson Vinson to drop him on his backside as he closed in on Cooper Rush. Then later, he had another great rush, forcing a fumble that was later ruled an incomplete forward pass. Houston was bringing the heat all night.
Joe Milton’s concerning night
It’s time to start raising the alarm on Joe Milton. He had a rough outing early in the contest last week, but found some momentum late in the game. It was a near-identical script tonight, but without much of the late-game improvement. Milton played the entire first half, and the offense looked flat in the passing game. He threw eight passes in the first half and completed two of them for a paltry 14 yards. Milton still holds the ball too long and doesn’t sense pressure. The Cowboys allowed a safety for the first points of the game, and while the protection could have been better to not allow a free rusher in the backfield, Milton could have also had the urgency to get rid of the ball faster.
His ball placement is still inconsistent, as occasionally he did have receivers open but couldn’t put the ball on them. He throws the ball with great velocity, but that’s a double-edged sword as his greatest asset is also his worst flaw. The touch has to improve to allow his receivers a chance at a more catchable pass. The lowest point has to be Milton’s interception immediately following an interception by Kemon Hall. Johnathan Mingo had the cornerback stacked on his go route, Milton never accounts for the safety in the middle of the field, and throws the interception into the waiting arms of Reuben Lowery.
Although Mingo and Milton connected for the top offensive highlight of the night, it’s still troubling to see Milton have as many challenges as he does and still doesn’t have a fine balance of when to tuck it and run versus threading a needle through a Cheerio from 25 yards away. Remember, the Cowboys have to keep a strong backup quarterback as an option with the checkered injury history of Dak Prescott these last few seasons. Milton, playing against a Ravens secondary riddled with injuries, was expected to look more consistent than he did. Dallas should have been able to exploit Baltimore, but Milton wasn’t ready for the moment this week.
All isn’t lost, however; Milton has a great mental makeup and takes accountability, looking his coaches in the eye after his mistakes and could be seen talking himself up on the sideline, trying to muster up some confidence in himself. Expectations were high because of his arm strength and athleticism, but it’s clear Milton needs more time to develop. So far, it’s a hard watch, and the Cowboys might want to start looking elsewhere for an immediate answer at backup quarterback.
