Houston Dallas, we have a problem. Ha! If that isn’t the understatement of the year. The Dallas Cowboys have had their share of problems all season and unfortunately things don’t look like the will beginning any better heading into the Week 13 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens.
Strength against strength or strength against weakness, each and every week around the NFL teams try to exploit their opponent one way or another. The way this Week 13 matchup is shaping up for the Dallas Cowboys it’s looking like a strength against weakness type of contest and unfortunately one that favors the Baltimore Ravens.
The Ravens are built much like they have been in years past. They like to run the ball and play stout defense along their defensive front and sadly that directly aligns with the Cowboys two biggest weaknesses as a team right now… their patchworked OL and stopping the run.
The Dallas Cowboys offensive line is as banged up as they come. All season they’ve been forced to shuffle and reshuffle in order to get a healthy starting five on the field on game days. This week against the Ravens will be no different. As frustrating as that has been though it’s the Cowboys inability to stop the run that will likely decide the outcome of this game.
The Dallas Cowboys are not so surprisingly the worst team in the league stopping the run this season. They are giving up nearly 160 yards (156.4) and nearly 5 yards per carry (4.9). With one of the best rushing attacks the league, that’s almost exactly what the Baltimore Ravens are averaging a game (157.6 yds/g, 4.9 avg). YIKES!
After missing last week’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Baltimore Ravens should have their full arsenal of RBs at their disposal this week and that includes QB Lamar Jackson. Anyone of J.K. Dobbins, Mark Ingram II, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill are more than capable of giving the Cowboys defense all they can handle. The combination of all for plus Lamar Jackson is almost unfair.
Add all of that up and it certainly doesn’t bode well for the Dallas Cowboys. After all, this is a team that just gave up 115 yards and three touchdowns to Antonio Gibson on Thanksgiving. As embarrassing as that was it could end up being much worse considering the talent Baltimore has at their disposal.
All in all, the Baltimore Ravens rushing attack is a problem the Dallas Cowboys might not have a solution for in this Week 13 matchup. It’s unfortunately just one of those strength against weakness matchups and this time around it looks as if the Cowboys are on the losing end of the stick. Who knows though, maybe they surprise us in a good way for a change?
