Aug 16, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Baltimore Ravens place kicker Tyler Loop (33) kicks a field goal during the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Ravens Send Cowboys Spiraling into Week's Biggest Losers

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Aug 18, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The NFL preseason rarely reflects an accurate depiction of how the NFL team's regular season is set to play out, especially as it trails on.

The team's stars and starters frequently sit out until records start counting in Week One of September, a precedent that especially applies to quarterbacks. Whether they're the best players in the game or just decent at the position, they'll frequently sit and watch as their backups get the full-scrimmage practice that they won't routinely see come autumn.

Lamar Jackson hasn't suited up in the preseason in years now. He has very little, if anything, to prove short of that elusive Super Bowl run, giving him little reason to risk injury amidst his MVP-caliber prime. Dak Prescott, the Dallas Cowboys' quarterback, is similarly set as his team's franchise field general, enabling the pair of Pro Bowlers to sit and watch as their understudies duked it out.

Things didn't just go Baltimore's way in the Week Two matchup, though. Dallas' second-stringers played such concerning football in the 31-13 loss that the Cowboys were thrown into CBS Sports' roundup of the week's biggest losers, as they couldn't effectively slow down the patchwork Ravens on either side of the football.

"Backup quarterback Joe Milton finished 9 of 18 for 122 yards and an interception," Jared Dubin wrote. "Only one of the four running backs to touch the ball averaged more than 2.3 yards per carry, and it was because Malik Davis ran once for five yards. Dallas' offense had the ball for only 19 minutes and 49 seconds.

"The defense came away with two interceptions, one of which Andrew Booth returned for a touchdown, but also allowed the Ravens to run an incredible 79 plays and convert 8 of 17 third downs."

Dubin credited much of their unfortunate statistical finish to their sluggish first half, as the Cowboys entered the break with 31 yards to Baltimore's 273. And while football in this format can't be trusted as reliable indicators of how players should hold up against fully-staffed NFL opposition, this was not an inspiring showing from Dallas. Their young quarterback failed to look like anything more than a project, and the Cowboys' trip back to the top of the NFC East seems no less arduous.

The Ravens, for their part, have only taken care of business this August. They're 2-0 in the preseason, with their young prospects each getting moments to shine as opposing quarterbacks with reputations to prove continue struggling against Baltimore's defense. The teams with disappointing depth could be in for a rough season, an issue the Ravens must be relieved to sidestep.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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