BALTIMORE – – Back in action after a 15-day layoff, Lamar Jackson led a relentless rushing offense that the Baltimore Ravens hope will be the first big stop in a playoff race.
Jackson ran for 94 yards and a landing, and the Ravens returned from a COVID-19 outbreak to amass 294 rushing yards in a 34-17 Dallas Cowboys rout on Tuesday night.
Playing for the first time since Nov. 22 following a positive test for the potentially fatal virus, Jackson carried 13 times and pitched for two scores. He was one of 23 Ravens to spend time on the reserve / COVID-19 list as four different strains of the virus swept through the organization.
“I still can’t really taste or smell, but I’m good,” Jackson said. “I feel good to be back with my guys. It was like two weeks that I didn’t see them. “
Although the Ravens still have half a dozen players on the COVID-19 roster, the team felt complete for the first time in weeks.
“It’s like when you go on a family vacation and one of your family gets sick and you can’t bring them,” said rookie linebacker Patrick Queen. “You are in the landfills.”
The game was played Tuesday night because Baltimore’s previous game – against Pittsburgh last Wednesday – was postponed three times as the Ravens had at least one player tested positive for 10 straight days.
Gus Edwards ran for 101 yards in just seven carries and rookie JK Dobbins – who also missed time on the COVID-19 list – added 71 rushing yards and a TD to help Baltimore (7-5) break up a skid three games and stay alive in his quest to reach the playoffs for a third straight year.
“It’s a win we really, really had to get. It was a must win, ”said coach John Harbaugh. The racing game was excellent. It was the key to the attack. “
Dallas came in with the worst running defense in the league, and it showed. The Ravens are averaging 7.9 yards per carry and have prevailed despite getting just 107 passing yards from Jackson.
“I think today was obviously a different challenge than what we’ve seen,” said Dallas coach Mike McCarthy. “It’s a unique offense. A very physical offensive line and the dynamics of the running back and Lamar combination.”
The last-place Cowboys (3-9) lost six of seven. Andy Dalton went 31 for 48 for 285 yards and two touchdowns, and Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 77 yards.
“I thought Andy handled the game really well,” said McCarthy. “We had to throw bigger punches there and we had to get on the board with touchdowns and we didn’t do it.”
Greg Zuerlein missed three field tries and Dallas gave up 20 straight points after taking a 10-7 lead early on.
The game was supposed to feature Ravens wide receiver Dez Bryant against his former team, but Bryant left during warm-ups and was wiped out in what Baltimore called “an illness.”
Bryant wrote on Twitter that he tested positive for COVID-19 and later posted: “Yeah, I’m going to go ahead and call this a shutdown for the rest of the season … I can’t deal with this. “
He later posted a series of tweets, including: “Yes, I’m coming back … I’m smart.”
Bryant scored 73 touchdowns with the Cowboys from 2010-17. He was signed by the Ravens in October and saw his first action in two years, catching four assists in three games.
On his first streak after his unwanted week, Jackson threw a pass that was flipped and intercepted. That led to a Dallas basket, but Jackson responded with a 37-yard touchdown in a fourth and two games.
Tony Pollard took the next kick-off 66 meters away to set up a 13 yard touchdown pass from Dalton to Michael Gallup. It would be the last time Dallas led.
A Queen interception allowed a 38-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Miles Boykin for a 14-10 lead.
Jackson’s second TD pass of the game, a 20 yard third quarter pass against Marquise Brown, went 24-10.
If Jackson was rusty or stale after missing a game, it was hard to tell from his performance.
“The only thing you know about Lamar: you’re going to get everything he’s got,” Harbaugh said. “That’s all you can ask for.”
RAVENS STREAKS
Justin Tucker of Baltimore missed a 36-yard field goal in the second quarter, ending his NFL record of 70 consecutive successful FGs within 40 yards. … The Ravens have rushed for 100 yards in 35 straight games, the third longest streak in NFL history. … Baltimore has won nine straight games against NFC enemies, the longest active streak for one team against the other conference.
INJURIES
Cowboys: LT Cameron Erving (knee) was inactive.
Ravens: Fullback Patrick Ricard started in the third quarter with a possible concussion but came back.
NEXT
Cowboys: Another road game against an AFC North foe in Cincinnati on Sunday.
Ravens: More prime-time action for Baltimore, against host Cleveland Browns on Monday night. It is a revenge for the opening of the season won by the Ravens, 38-6.
——
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP–NFL
