4 Cowboys who deserve blame for Week 3 loss to the Ravens

For the second week in a row the Dallas Cowboys got wiped off their own field. After getting blown out by the Saints, Dallas trailed the Ravens 28-6 going into the fourth quarter. Despite a great rally by Dak Prescott and the offense, it was too little too late as they lost 28-25.

There is a ton of blame to go around for this loss and it really can go to some of the same players who underperformed against New Orleans. While losing to the AFC runner up by only three points might not look that bad, what Dallas showed through seven quarters of football up until the fourth one on Sunday calls for plenty of criticism. Four players stood who out for the wrong reasons deserve the most blame for the loss.

4 Cowboys who deserve blame for the loss to the Ravens

4. WR CeeDee Lamb

Yes Lamb had 67 receiving yards, but a big mistake cost the Cowboys points when the game was still winnable. Trailing 14-3 in the second quarter, Dallas' offense finally starting putting together a solid drive. After a 24-yard catch by Jake Ferguson ignited them, Dallas found themselves in the red zone.

Prescott found Lamb over the middle for a completion and he had enough for the first down but was stripped of the ball by Nate Wiggins. The turnover deflated the offense and Lamb's demeanor on the sidelines began to deteriorate. The Cowboys would not get that close to scoring again until the fourth quarter when they were hopelessly behind.

Lamb was one of the team's biggest stories this offseason. First he held out of training camp for more money, much to the dismay of some fans. He finally got his reward with a four-year, $136 million contract. Unfortunately, Lamb's fumble was magified based on the result of the Ravens game. Had he held onto the ball like he is expected to nine times out of ten, he would have had a first down and the offense would have had momentum to finish a drive and possibly score.

If the score had been more in the range of 28-14 entering the fourth quarter, the Cowboys might have been able to come back and win. Lamb is one of the top receivers in the NFL and there is little reason to debate that, but he deserves some of the blame for fumbling in the red zone and costing his team points.

3. CB Caelen Carson

Caelen Carson has shown little to make anyone believe he is capable of filling in for DaRon Bland for the next several weeks. He was beat in coverage several times against the Saints and against the Ravens, his poor play continued. While one could blame the entire defensive unit, and there is no shame in doing so, Carson is one defender who needs to be held accountable.

His tough day began on the Ravens' second drive. Lamar Jackson found Nelson Agholor on an out route and Carson was in position to make the tackle. Instead he took a horrible angle and Agholor ran for 56 yards on the completion that put the ball at the one-yard line. Again, Carson showed poor tackling technique. It might have only been one chunk play, but it was a decisive one that showed how the rest of the day was going to go for the Cowboys' defense.

Carson also found himself the talk of the internet when Derrick Henry broke free on a long run at the beginning of the third quarter. While tackling Henry is a challenge for a lot of defenders, Carson got a massive stiff-arm to the face that shoved him straight to the ground. Still, that is a tackle he has to make when the running back gets into the secondary. The big play led to Henry's second touchdown of the game. At 28-6 the game was pretty much decided.

While Carson looked good in Week 1 going against Amari Cooper, he has looked like a late-round rookie draft pick the last two weeks. Dallas is paying a huge price for not addressing additional help at cornerback during the offseason. At this point Bland needs to hurry back from injury or this team may have to make a trade to get help at that position. Carson was not the only defender out there who made mistakes, but those two significant ones showed his poor tackling.

2. OT Tyler Guyton

The whole offensive line can take some blame for this loss. Tyler Guyton, though, deserves to be singled out. The first-round pick has looked far from the next coming of Tyron Smith the past two games. He held his own against Myles Garrett in Week 1, but in these last two games the rookie has struggled to be polite.

Guyton has been accumulating a lot of penalties the past two games and needless to say that will get a team beat. At the end of the first half, Dallas had just over a minute to try to drive down the field trailing 21-3. Prescott looked deep for Lamb and they could not connect but Wiggins was called for a defensive pass interference.

However, Guyton was called for offensive holing and the penalties offset. Had he not held, Dallas would have had the ball inside the five-yard line and a great chance to score.
They once again settled for a field goal, preventing them from having a chance to possibly cut more into that Baltimore lead.

Guyton's day got worse midway through the third quarter when Kyle Van Noy used him as a human turnstile to sack Prescott on a 3rd and 18. It was Van Noy's second sack of the day. Overall, Guyton did not do a good job of helping his quarterback. As a left tackle, that has to change if he is going to be the starter here long term. He is still only a rookie and has a lot to learn, but he needs to get up to speed much quicker than what he has shown the last two weeks.

1. DT Mazi Smith

Another week, another game where Mazi Smith continues to look like a draft bust. With Jordan Phillips on injured reserve for reasons that are still questionable, Smith got much more playing time against the Ravens. He did not take advantage. Smith had three tackles but looked completely overmatched out there.

The big play that stood out was on Henry's second touchdown run. Lined up against Tyler Linderbaum, Smith got completely displaced and taken out of the play. It opened up a huge hole right in the middle of the line for Henry to get going and it lead to his second score. Smith was pushed around all game, but that one stood out the most. His inability to get any rush and fight his way through to make key tackles has been a constant issue since he was drafted.

Had Smith been there Henry would have likely been stopped for a short gain. For those who have watched this Cowboys' team closely the past few season's, Smith's play of getting blown out the way is this team's run defense in microcosm. Osa Odighizuwa looks the part but he does not play the nose. The Cowboys still have not solved their defensive tackle issues in the middle of this run defense. Yes the whole defensive line deserves blame, but Smith is the poster child from the Ravens' game.

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