The Dallas Cowboys disappointed their home crowd for the second straight week after another poor performance. They were poor on both sides of the ball, and the Baltimore Ravens took control early en route to a 28-25 victory that wasn’t as close as the score indicated. The Cowboys will have to search long and hard to figure out what’s wrong with them, as it’s been a while since we’ve seen them string together two terrible football games in a row. Here are 10 thoughts on the Cowboys’ lackluster performance on Sunday.

1. Excessive self-confidence

From the moment head coach Mike McCarthy decided to take the ball after winning the toss, you just knew it wasn’t going to go well. That’s what teams do when they want to make a statement. Let your offense drive the ball down the field. We get it. But who are they kidding? This is an offense that has struggled to find its feet, and their inability to get into midfield and sloppy penalty taking showed they weren’t capable of making that statement. Just kick it next time, Mike. It’s always better to start with the ball in the second half.

2. The defense picked up where they left off

Last week, the Cowboys defense struggled mightily against the Saints offense, allowing touchdowns on their first six drives of the game. That’s insanely bad. The defense picked up where it left off, letting the Ravens run wild on their first two drives with two consecutive drives of 70+ yards that ended in touchdowns. And just like that, the Cowboys fell behind big time early.

3. The battle to stop the run continues

After giving up 190 yards on the ground last week, we could only hope that things would be better this time around. They weren’t. The Cowboys defense gave up 274 rushing yards. It was the most rushing yards this defense had given up in a game since the awful Mike Nolan days of 2020, when the team allowed 294 yards to, guess who, the Baltimore Ravens. Derrick Henry did the heavy lifting, rushing for 151 yards on 25 carries (6.0 ypc), but Lamar Jackson added another 87 yards.

4. Unable to tackle to save their lives

The run-stopping issues can be attributed to many things. Often, they always seem to be leaning the wrong way. They don’t read the play well and end up a step behind. On Sunday, the Cowboys’ run-stopping issues were more than just mental. They were overpowered. The defenders simply couldn’t handle the Ravens’ ball carriers, and every time it looked like they needed to be stopped, they weren’t. The Ravens simply steamrolled over the Cowboys’ defenders.

5. Missed opportunity

After the Ravens took a 14-3 lead in the final quarter, the Cowboys appeared to respond with a touchdown drive. They drove to the Ravens’ nine-yard line before a Tyler Guyton holding penalty pushed them back 10 yards. On the next play, Dak Prescott connected with CeeDee Lamb on a 10-yard slant, but Lamb dropped the ball after being picked off by a Ravens defender. Just like that, the drive was over and the Cowboys were left with nothing.

6. Missed Opportunity, Part II

To the surprise of many, the Cowboys defense made a few stops in the second quarter, but unfortunately the offense couldn’t capitalize. And when the Ravens scored a touchdown with just 25 seconds left in the first half to make it 21-3, it looked like it was over. The offense didn’t let up and kept things interesting as Prescott found Lamb deep along the sideline for a 31-yard pass play. Then, on the next play, it looked like the Cowboys were in business when the Ravens committed a defensive pass interference near the goal line. Unfortunately, Guyton was also flagged for holding, which resulted in offsetting penalties. The Cowboys had to settle for another field goal by Brandon Aubrey.

7. Why was it so difficult?

One of the most frustrating things about this game is that it looked easy for the Ravens offense and super confusing for the Cowboys offense. Jackson had clean running lanes and wide open receivers. Even when they had a broken play, they turned it into positive yardage because there was no Cowboys defender to be found. Prescott, on the other hand, didn’t have it so easy. Whenever he completed a pass, it felt like the defender was all over him. The broadcast team kept going on about how many tight window throws Prescott had. Either the play calling was terrible, the receivers weren’t creating separation, or Dak just wasn’t seeing the field well. Whatever is going on, the Cowboys offense looks bewildered.

8. Trying to do too much

When the offense struggles repeatedly, it’s easy to get impatient and want to go for the big play. It felt like Prescott and Lamb were trying to do too much at times. Lamb fumbled in the first half and false-started in the second. Prescott got a little high on some of his throws and even lost control of the ball on one play when he felt the pocket collapse. It was a stressful environment, but the team’s best offensive playmakers didn’t seem to be cool.

9. Last gasp

As awful as this game was to watch, the Cowboys made things interesting with a mini-run in the fourth quarter. After Justin Tucker missed a 46-yard field goal, the Cowboys still trailed 28-6 with just over ten minutes left in the game. The offense then put together back-to-back touchdown drives thanks to a recovered onside kick. Each drive lasted less than two minutes, making it a 28-18 game with just over seven minutes left in the game. After the Ravens went three-and-out, the Cowboys added another touchdown drive, making it 28-25 with 2:44 left in the game. Unfortunately, the Cowboys defense was completely unstoppable, allowing the Ravens to run out the clock on two first downs.

10. There’s no place like home

Last year, it seemed like the Cowboys were unbeatable at AT&T Stadium. They were, too, in the regular season, winning every home game last year. But since then, they’ve struggled in the friendly confines of their home stadium. Since last year’s debacle against the Packers, the Cowboys have been outscored by 54 points in the first half in their last three home games. They’re getting demolished before halftime. It’s crazy that this keeps happening and they’re not given much of a chance in the second half. On Sunday, they finally got going, but it was too little, too late.