Ravens Ride Dominant Run Game En Route to Must-Win Against Cowboys

The Baltimore Ravens are really good at running the football. The Dallas Cowboys aren't very good at stopping teams from running the football. In most situations, that is a winning recipe for Baltimore.

Tuesday night was one of those situations.

The Ravens got a 34-17 victory over the Cowboys in what felt like a must-win game for both squads. Dallas was trying to position itself back in NFC East consideration, while Baltimore was trying to avoid a fourth consecutive loss.

At one time, the Ravens were considered one of the league's top teams. They started the season 5-1, losing only to the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. But they lost four of their next five games, and their playoff hopes were on the brink.

The return of star quarterback Lamar Jackson and the productivity of Baltimore's run game were enough to get things back on the right track. Of the team's 401 total yards, a whopping 294 of them came on the ground.

Jackson was responsible for 94 of those yards, while Gus Edwards (101), JK Dobbins (71) and Mark Ingram II (28) all chipped in to make an unstoppable rushing attack.

Dallas had hardly any answers, and for a team that ranks last in rushing yards allowed per game (156.4), that made sense. Especially since they faced the league's second-ranked rushing offense (157.6 yards per game).

For Baltimore, this win could not have come at a more important time. It kept the team from falling to 6-6 and two games out of the Wild Card hunt.

And with the 9-3 Cleveland Browns up next, the Ravens could have been three games back with only three weeks to go in the regular season. The win against the Cowboys on Tuesday prevented a late-season collapse. For now.

That Monday night showdown between Jackson and Baker Mayfield should be fun to watch.

Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.