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After an unexpectedly long rest time, the Cowboys traveled to Baltimore and got run into submission by the Ravens’ extremely efficient rushing attack. Offensively, the Cowboys were able to move the ball effectively but their drives routinely stalled out, and three missed field goals helped dig them a hole early on.
The Cowboys’ star rookie had a good game, though, and it also marked the (admittedly muted) debut of Reggie Robinson III. Other than that, it was a fairly disappointing night for this rookie class, one that matched the rest of the team’s performance.
CeeDee Lamb, WR
After having such a poor performance against the Washington Football Team last week, CeeDee Lamb bounced back with another game wherein he showed how reliable he can be. Lamb caught six passes for 46 yards and three of those catches went for a first down, while a fourth was one yard short.
Lamb’s two most memorable plays from Tuesday night were the catches he didn’t make. First there was the blatant pass interference that wasn’t called, which would have put the Cowboys in position for a field goal right before halftime. Then there was the following play, a Hail Mary that slipped through Lamb’s hands in the endzone.
CeeDee Lamb NEARLY brought in that Hail Mary
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) December 9, 2020
(via @thecheckdown)pic.twitter.com/P5TS2RDUW2
Both plays were critical to the Cowboys taking a 17-10 deficit into the locker rooms. Only one was Lamb’s fault, and even then it’s hard to blame any receiver for not coming up with the Hail Mary catch. These two may be the most memorable moments involving Lamb - who also fair caught one punt - but his overall performance was a much-needed rebound from the previous game.
Trevon Diggs, CB
News broke earlier in the week that Trevon Diggs might be able to return this season from his broken foot, but that’s later down the road. Diggs was once again out this week, as he’s on the injured reserve.
Neville Gallimore, DT
For a moment it looked as if the duo of Antwaun Woods and Neville Gallimore was starting to fortify this run defense, even after Antonio Gibson’s huge fourth quarter last week. But any momentum they had was succinctly extinguished Tuesday when the Ravens fell just short of running up 300 yards on this unit.
While Gallimore isn’t directly responsible, he’s a big part of the run defense for this team. He logged four tackles in the game, the most of any defensive tackle on Tuesday and a career high for the rookie, but that was it. Gallimore has progressed a lot this season, so hopefully this week was just a temporary setback for the defensive tackle that went from routine healthy scratch to starter.
Reggie Robinson III, DB
Well, look who suited up. After months of anticipation, Reggie Robinson made his NFL debut and..... did nothing, really. Any hopes he might get on the field on defense were extinguished on the first drive when Darian Thompson lucked into an interception Jeff Heath-style. Thompson ended up playing every single defensive snap, while Robinson was relegated to three special teams snaps.
But hey, at least he wasn’t inactive!
Tyler Biadasz, C
Tyler Biadasz is in the same boat as Diggs, where he could potentially return this year but is currently on the injured reserve. As such, he did not play in this game.
Bradlee Anae, EDGE
As much of a win that it was for Cowboys fans to see Reggie Robinson be active, it was the same sort of frustration for those who want to see more out of Bradlee Anae. Once again, the edge rusher was inactive.
Ben DiNucci, QB
Andy Dalton is still standing, and he had a quietly good game, and Garrett Gilbert is the backup quarterback. Thus, Ben DiNucci was inactive again.
Terence Steele, OT
Terence Steele is back to being the starting right tackle despite the Cowboys’ best efforts otherwise. Logging his ninth start of the year, Steele may have had his best performance of the year. It still wasn’t great, which embodies how low the bar is for this undrafted rookie, but the offensive line didn’t allow a sack against this vaunted Ravens pass rush until the fourth quarter.
Steele held up well enough for the Cowboys offense to nearly match Baltimore in total yards gained, although he got clearly wore down as the contest went on. By the fourth quarter, he was getting beat routinely. Still, though, it was an encouraging step forward for Steele.
Francis Bernard, LB
Zero defensive snaps and 13 special teams snaps for Francis Bernard. Nothing surprising here, as the rookie has turned into a regular contributor on special teams.
Sean McKeon, TE
Nothing changed for Sean McKeon, who functioned as the third tight end in goal line situations and contributing on special teams. McKeon’s three offensive snaps all came on the three consecutive runs to Ezekiel Elliott at the goal line, all of which were stuffed.
Rico Dowdle, RB
Rico Dowdle is another rookie who has earned his spot on this roster through his steady and consistent work on special teams. It’s a thankless job, but one that undoubtedly endears him to his coaches.
Ron’Dell Carter, DL
As has been the case since the Cowboys brought back Ron’Dell Carter, he was inactive on Tuesday.