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ARLINGTON -- If you thought Tony Romo's statement last week might be a distraction for the Cowboys, you were wrong. Sunday against Baltimore was more of the same. In fact, the Cowboys set a franchise-record Sunday with their ninth consecutive win.
As Jason Garrett would say, when these Cowboys faced adversity early, they never blinked.
Here are my thoughts on the Cowboys improving to 9-1 with a 27-17 win over the Ravens.
1. Nothing seems to bother Dak Prescott.
He had a rough start, missing on 3 of his first 5 passes as the Ravens built a 7-0 lead. He was shaky early. The Ravens' defensive front had a lot to do with that. But he rebounded, especially on the final drive of the first half, tying the score at 7-7. He was exceptional in the second half, getting into a rhythm that kept a very good Ravens defense on their heels. Prescott in the third quarter alone as the Cowboys started pulling away: 8 of 9 passing, 68 yards, 1 TD, 135.2 rating.
2. Ezekiel Elliott was equally impressive in the second half.
After managing only 26 yards on six first-half carries, Elliott exploded in the third quarter for 7 carries, 39 yards and 3 catches, 31 yards. He finished with 97 rushing yards, which is third most against the Ravens defense this year.
Top individual rushing performances against Baltimore this season:
Week 2, Isaiah Crowell, 18 carries, 133 yards 1 TD
Week 7, Matt Forte, 30 carries, 100 yards, 1 TD
Week 1, LeSean McCoy, 16 carries, 58 yards, 1 TD
Here's what Elliott has done against some of the NFL's top run defenses:
No. 1, Ravens, 25 carries, 97 yards, 0 TD
No. 4, Packers, 28 carries, 157 yards, 0 TD
No. 7, Giants, 20 carries, 51 yards, 1 TD
No. 11, Bears, 30 carries, 140 yards, 0 TD
No. 13, Eagles, 22 carries, 96 yards, 0 TD
3. Single coverage on Dez?
The last two weeks, the Steelers and Ravens have put single coverage on Dez Bryant. The Cowboys' star receiver has feasted on that coverage. One would think such coverage would stop, but as long as Ezekiel Elliott's on the field, it'll be difficult. Pick your poison. If you double Bryant and take an extra defender out of the box, Elliott will eat. Put the extra defender in the box, Prescott gets to throw to a single-covered Bryant. There were some questions about Prescott and Bryant being on the same page like Dez and Tony were. Those questions have been answered.
4. Nice day from Brice Butler.
He had an impressive 41-yard catch to set up the Cowboys' first touchdown. On the play, Butler had to turn and find the ball in the air and then fight off a defender who was all over him. Butler ended being Dallas' third leading receiver behind Bryant and Cole Beasley. After not having a catch last week, Butler caught two passes for 49 yards.
5. Tough test
I viewed this week's game as being the third toughest test for the Cowboys thus far. I had at Pittsburgh and at Green Bay as being more difficult. I picked against them in both. They won both. I thought this would be their toughest home game to date. The matchup between division leaders looked rough for the Cowboys early, but like Prescott, they keep checking boxes. I picked the Cowboys this week and see no reason to pick against them the rest of the way.
