The Dallas Cowboys are now 0-2 for the preseason after a late comeback attempt fell short against the Ravens at AT&T Stadium on Saturday night, allowing Baltimore to leave town with a 37-30 win.
Making his preseason debut after being held out of the opener in San Diego, Tony Romo fumbled a snap on the first drive of the game. That fumble was scooped up by the Ravens’ Courtney Upshaw and returned 36 yards for the touchdown and the 7-0 lead.
After the fumble though, Romo bounced back, leading Dallas on a nine-play, 83-yard scoring drive, capped with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Dez Bryant. He came out after that, and finished his preseason debut 4-5 passing for 80 yards and a touchdown.
Romo was replaced by Brandon Weeden, who went 10-19 for 129 yards, no touchdowns and an interception on the night.
The Ravens responded to Dallas’s only touchdown of the half immediately, as Deonte Thompson returned the ensuing kickoff 108 yards for an easy touchdown to regain the lead for the visitors.
Dan Bailey kicked a 53-yard field goal to open the second quarter and cut the deficit to four, but it would be all Baltimore for the rest of the half.
Justin Tucker hit a 40-yard field goal, Torrey Smith caught a touchdown pass from Joe Flacco, and then Tucker hit on another field goal with eight seconds left to give Baltimore a 27-10 lead going into half.
Flacco finished 9-17 passing for 113 yards.
The Ravens extended their lead to 34-10 on the first drive of the second half, with rookie running back Lorenzo Taliaferro capping a 10-play, 67-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run.
Then, finally, the Cowboys showed some life.
As time ran out on the third quarter, tight end James Hanna caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Forney, TX native Caleb Hanie. Running back Ryan Williams led the way on a 39-yard drive in the 4th quarter that ended with a three-yard touchdown run by, who else, Williams. After West Texas A&M product Dustin Vaughan took over for Hanie, the Cowboys kept closing the gap. Receiver Jamar Newsome caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Vaughan to close the deficit to 34-30, but Dallas’s two-point attempt failed.
Baltimore’s Tucker made one final field goal with less than a minute left in the game to put Baltimore up 37-30, and that would stand as the final.
The Cowboys will travel to Miami for the “dress rehearsal” game against the Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium next Saturday.
Stay on top of the latest Dallas Cowboys news with NBCDFW.com. Follow NBC DFW on Facebook or have breaking Cowboys news sent directly to your phone with Blue Star SMS alerts. Text "bluestar" to 622339 (NBCDFW) to subscribe, text HELP for more info, and text STOP to end the subscription. Message and data rates may apply.Read more about it here.
