Cowboys Country

Cowboys winners & losers from Week 3 loss to Ravens

There weren't many winners at all for the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3, as they were embarrassed by the Baltimore Ravens.

Randy Gurzi

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
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For the second week in a row, the Dallas Cowboys suffered a loss at home. This time, it was at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, who were dominant on both sides of the ball in the first half.

Dallas fought back in the final 15 minutes but ran out of time, losing 28-25.

The Cowboys are now 1-2 and have to be thankful for the quick turnaround this week. They'll be featured on Thursday Night Football against the New York Giants, who won in Cleveland to improve to 1-2.

MORE: What did CeeDee Lamb say to Dak Prescott in heated sideline exchange?

While they will mercifully move on to the next game quickly, we take another look at the disheartening loss with winners and losers from Week 3.

Winner: Jake Ferguson

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson
Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

After missing last week with a knee injury, Jake Ferguson was back in Week 3 and reminded us all what this offense was missing. Ferguson proved to be a safety valve for Dak Prescott, hauling in 95 yards on six receptions.

He led the team in both receptions and yardage and converted a third-down play as well.

Loser: Mike Zimmer

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer
Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

In Week 1, Mike Zimmer was getting hit with all the praise. His defense was lights out in his return to Big D, holding the Browns to 230 yards. They also forced two turnovers and sacked Deshaun Watson six times. They were the complete opposite in Week 2 as they surrendered 432 yards to the New Orleans Saints in a 44-19 blowout.

It wasn't much different in Week 3 as the Ravens were able to assert their dominance from the opening drive.

Zimmer has an impressive resume and has had more than his share of success in the NFL but has a lot of work to do to turn things around. Given what his defense showed on Sunday, it's fair to question if that's going to be possible.

Winner: Brandon Aubrey

Dallas Cowboys place kicker Brandon Aubrey
Dallas Cowboys place kicker Brandon Aubrey / Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

There's no kicker in the NFL better than Brandon Aubrey. Since entering the NFL in 2023, he's done nothing but drill long kicks and did that again against the Ravens.

With Justin Tucker on the opposing sideline, Aubrey drilled a 65-yard field goal. That's just one-yard shy of Tucker's NFL record, which Aubrey nearly tied in Week 1. The second-year kicker hit one from that distance but had it negated due to a penalty. He also hit a 66-yarder in the preseason, which makes it feel like only a mater of time until he surpasses Tucker.

As if his long kick wasn't enough, Aubrey also successfully converted an onside kick late in the game as Dallas fought to come back.

In addition to the 65-yarder, Aubrey hit one from 51 before the end of the half. He's now 10-of-10 on the season and one of the greatest weapons on this roster.

Loser: CeeDee Lamb

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb / Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

This was not CeeDee Lamb's best day. If we're being honest, this hasn't even been a good start to the season for the No. 1 wideout.

Dallas has put a lot on his shoulders, but that's also why they were willing to pay him $136 million over four seasons. With a lot of unproven talent behind him and Brandin Cooks — plus a lack of a rushing attack — Lamb is being asked to carry the load.

Through the first two games of the year, he had just 151 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions. This week, he added 67 yards on four catches, which means they're still waiting for his breakout game in 2024.

What's worse is that the Cowboys might have been able to pull this off with another score, and Lamb cost them one in the first half. Trailing 14-3, Dallas got into the red zone and Dak Prescott hit Lamb for nine yards, moving the ball to the 10. While being tackled, Lamb coughed up the ball and rookie Nate Wiggins recovered the fumble.

From there, Lamb had terrible body language as well as a heated sideline exchange with Prescott. Something is off here, and it has to be fixed if this offense is going to get on track.

Winner: KaVontae Turpin

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver KaVontae Turpin
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver KaVontae Turpin / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

During the offseason, Mike McCarthy discussed getting KaVontae Turpin more involved in the offense this season and we saw why on Sunday. Turpin made a couple of clutch receptions in the fourth quarter as the Cowboys were trying to fight back.

The first was a 23-yard grab that nearly went into the end zone. Turpin was ruled down at the one-yard line, and Dak Prescott punched it in on the next play to make it 28-12. His second went for a touchdown as Prescott found Turpin from 16 yards out.

The former USFL MVP hasn't been given too many opportunities, but he's made the most of the targets he's gotten.

Loser: Dak Prescott

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

A glance at the stats might make it seem as though Dak Prescott went off in Week 3. He had 379 yards passing with two touchdowns and no picks. For good measure, he added another touchdown on the ground. Watching the game tells another story.

In the first three quarters, Dak struggled mightily. He was inaccurate and had a couple of passes that could have been picked off. He did catch fire, which he deserves credit for, and led Dallas to 19 points in the fourth quarter. The problem is that this was too little, too late, as the Ravens 28-6 lead was too much to overcome.

What makes it worse for Prescott is that he spoke about being the aggressor leading up to this game only to come out and start the game with a 13-yard drive. His next drive was 24 yards and the only reason that wasn't a punt was Brandon Aubrey's bionic leg.

He also needs to work on his accuracy. He was good on just under 55 percent of his attempts, which is far below the league average. There were several wide-open targets he missed on Sunday and hitting they could have drastically changed this game.

The Dallas offense is guilty of coming out flat far too often, and while Dak keeps saying the right things, he needs to start showing that this can change. His team often allows the opponent to set the tone and after posting a losing record against playoff teams in 2023, they seem to be headed in the same direction this year.

Loser: Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry
Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry / Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

Jerry Jones and his son, Stephen Jones, spent most of the offseason telling fans they had no money. That's why they didn't sign many players in free agency — and completely ignored the running back position.

Their inattention to the position left them with a backfield committee featuring Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle, and Deuce Vaughn. Throughout the first three games, they haven't been good. On Sunday, the Cowboys went up against an elite backfield as the Ravens ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns.

What was most frustrating was watching the majority of that damage come courtesy of Derrick Henry, a free agent addition who was interested in joining the Cowboys this offseason.

The Joneses told everyone running backs weren't worth as much as Henry wanted and then watched him carve up their defense. Now, he says they couldn't afford Henry.

That's quite the loss to take — but they'll probably just put all of the blame on Mike McCarthy. That's the joy of being the owner and GM.

— Enjoy free coverage of the Cowboys from Dallas Cowboys on SI —

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Randy Gurzi

RANDY GURZI

Arizona State grad

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