ARLINGTON, Texas — — Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens had an early answer to their first 0-2 start since he wasn’t their franchise quarterback.

The two-time MVP made some decisive moves in the final quarter as the Ravens threatened to blow a big fourth-quarter lead.

Derrick Henry ran for 151 yards and scored two touchdowns, Jackson had two scores and the Ravens beat the Dallas Cowboys 28-25 on Sunday.

The Ravens (1-2) scored touchdowns on their first two drives and led 28-6 before Dak Prescott and the Cowboys mounted a stunning comeback with some help from a rare onside kick recovery.

Baltimore needed just one more play to give the ball back to the Cowboys (1-2), who led by just three points, when Jackson made a decisive pass to Zay Flowers.

Jackson ended the game with a nice feint to start a 10-yard run as the Ravens finished with 274 yards rushing. It’s the most Dallas has allowed since twice giving up at least 294 yards with one of the worst defenses in franchise history in 2020.

The Ravens, fresh off a trip to the AFC championship game where they lost to Super Bowl champion Kansas City, were 0-2 for the first time since 2015, three years before drafting Jackson. Only one team since 2000 has made the playoffs after starting 0-3.

“Every game is a big game for us because we’re trying to get somewhere,” Jackson said. “We’ve got to win these games to make the playoffs, and we’ve got to make the Super Bowl. But it starts with the game in front of us.”

The Cowboys have given up 120 points in their last three home games, including a 48-32 wild-card loss to Green Bay in January that ended Dallas’ 16-game winning streak at AT&T Stadium.

Brandon Aubrey hit a 65-yard field goal for the Cowboys, one yard shy of the 2021 NFL record set by Baltimore’s Justin Tucker, the kicker on the opposite sideline.

Just like in last week’s 44-19 loss to New Orleans, the Cowboys needed more than just field goals because of their poor defense.

The touchdowns eventually came for Dallas. They were just a little too late.

Prescott scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak midway through the fourth period, CJ Griffin took the onside kick and Jalen Tolbert had a 15-yard TD catch to make it 28-18 before the Cowboys missed their second straight 2-point conversion attempt.

Flowers picked up Dallas’ second onside kick after missing the first, but the Ravens remained on third-and-out.

The Cowboys scored big after KaVontae Turpin caught the ball 16 yards out to cut the deficit to three points. Then Jackson caught the ball 9 yards out to Flowers on third-and-6 and the keeper to close out the final 2:53 minutes.

“Lamar was just phenomenal,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “We didn’t really want to be in that situation, but we were, and we got through it.”

Dallas lost two home games in the same regular season for the first time since 2020 after Prescott suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 5 of a 6-10 season.

“Don’t let guys get hung up on you,” Prescott said after emerging from the quiet, frustrated locker room. “They might feel bad tonight, but it’s over in the morning. If you dwell on that, you’re not going to prepare right away. You’re still going to look back on things you could have done, should have done.”

Nelson Agholor had a 56-yard catch-and-run to set up Henry’s first touchdown, making a 1-yard plunge for a 14-3 lead.

The Ravens opened with a five-play, 71-yard drive, capped by Jackson’s 9-yard, untouched run to the cone. His first throw of the game was a 30-yarder to uncovered tight end Charlie Kolar.

Henry, who averaged 6 yards on 25 carries, became the first Baltimore back to score at least a touchdown in each of his first three games for the franchise. He added a 23-yard catch.

Henry, a two-time state rushing champion in his eight seasons at Tennessee, ran 26 yards for a touchdown and took a 28-6 lead on the first drive of the second half.

Jackson completed 12 of 15 passes for 182 yards, with a 13-yard scoring throw to Rashod Bateman all alone in the end zone, adding 87 rushing yards.

The late Dallas surge had Prescott 28 of 51 for 379 yards and two touchdowns, but again had no help from an anemic running game even before the scoring got out of hand. Dallas averaged 3.2 yards per carry.

Ultimately, the Cowboys fell too far behind against a team that emphasizes defense and the ground game.

“You definitely want to be in front of that team,” Dallas coach Mike McCarthy said. “That’s a team that plays to their strengths and their profile. We weren’t clean enough to win today.”

Injuries

Cowboys S Markquese Bell injured his ankle in the first half and did not return. … Ravens CB Jalyn Armour-Davis injured his hamstring and did not return.

Next

Ravens: Home game against Buffalo next Sunday night.

Cowboys: Thursday night at the New York Giants in their first NFC East game.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL