Excuse the Baltimore Ravens if they felt a little strange after their victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas dominated time of possession in Sunday's game, doubling Baltimore. The Ravens gave up more than 200 rushing yards for the second consecutive week for the first time in team history. Baltimore probably lost its best cornerback, Lardarius Webb, for the season and their defensive leader, linebacker Ray Lewis, to a possible torn triceps.
On NFL Network
NFL Replay
will re-air the
Baltimore Ravens' 31-29 win over the DallasÂ
Cowboys in Week 6 on Tuesday, Oct. 16
at 8 p.m. ET.
The Ravens watched Dez Bryant drop a two-point conversion pass and the Cowboys miss a potential game-winning field-goal try.
Yes, the Ravens are 5-1. They have earned it. But it doesn't hurt to be a little lucky, too, and they know it.
"We were fortunate enough to squeak out a win," Joe Flacco told NFL Network's Jeff Darlington after the game. "I've never been a part of a game like that. I don't know if we deserved to win it, but we did it."
Baltimore didn't have a first down in the second half until a touchdown drive midway through the fourth quarter. But we're mostly concerned about the Ravens' defense. Dallas overcame a first-and-20, a fourth-and-10 and a third-and-27 in its final touchdown drive alone. The old Ravens defense would have ended that game many times.
This is a different kind of Ravens team. Flacco and his teammates will have to get resourceful.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
