Cowboys vs. Ravens: Full Report Card Grades for Dallas

The Dallas Cowboys are 9-1. Soak that all in for a second. It has been quite the season for the Cowboys, and this week was by far the most interesting. After Tony Romo was finally healthy to play, he made it clear that this was Dak Prescott's team. Romo suited up in Week 11 to promote even more awkwardness.

Dallas did not look prepared for this game in the early going. It started out with a lazy three-and-out drive. A few drives later, the Ravens took the football 90 yards down the field to draw the first blood of the game. Terrance West's rushing touchdown put the Ravens up 7-0.

In the second quarter, the Cowboys' offense got going. In a drive where penalties pushed the Cowboys back at 1st & 30, offensive coordinator Scott Linehan should receive a ton of credit for creating plays that get Dallas' star players in space. Dallas' first touchdown was capped off from the connection of Dak Prescott to Cole Beasley. A pair of made field goals tied the score up at 10 at the half.

In the second half, the Cowboys' defense showed no let-downs, and it gave an opportunity to get the offense back on the field. Dallas had two offensive touchdown drives in the second half, both of which ended in touchdown passes to Dez Bryant. After the Cowboys scored the second touchdown drive with about 12 minutes to play in the fourth quarter, it became apparent that the Cowboys were taking control of the game. Baltimore had the ball for just four minutes of the half at that point.

A late touchdown drive for the Ravens made things interesting. But the Cowboys put together a long time-draining drive that ended in a field goal from the otherworldly Dan Bailey. A few plays later and the game ended. Dallas' strong performance in the second half was the difference.

Read on for full grades and analysis from the Cowboys' ninth consecutive win of the season.

Passing Offense

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It did not start out well for the rookie quarterback out of Mississippi State. Perhaps it was the presence of Tony Romo wearing pads on the sideline or maybe it was the top defense competing against him on the other side of the ball.

However, something clicked for Prescott and the Cowboys' offensive group as a whole turned a corner. Prescott was extremely consistent in this game. And in times when the Cowboys needed him most, he performed. In a game when the emphasis fell on him to be the lead guy in the Cowboys offense, he answered the call time and time again.

On the Cowboys' three touchdown drives in this one, they were all lengthy ones: 52 yards, 92 yards and 88 yards. Prescott finished with 301 passing yards, marking the second time in his career with at least 300 yards. Despite the rough start, Prescott once again came to play in this one.

Grade: A

Rushing Offense

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Going up against the No. 1 ranked rushing defense, this was a matchup that many thought would be a good one. While Ezekiel Elliott didn't surpass 100 rushing yards, he finished with an extremely productive day. Elliott touched the football 29 times for 127 yards. His ability to find the hole against a tough defense proved to be huge in this game.

Elliott picked up multiple first downs in this game and not all of them came by running the football. The Cowboys got Elliott more involved in the passing game in this one, and the extra element out of the backfield was huge for the Cowboys offense.

This team will go as far as No. 21 takes them. And despite a difficult matchup in Week 11, the Cowboys got the performance they needed out of Elliott. A difficult, churning, yet productive day.

Grade: B+

Passing Defense

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If you look at the statistics, it's noticeable how much better Joe Flacco is when defenses cannot get pressure on him. In comparison, his numbers drastically improve when he is not pressured. The key in this game for Dallas was to get pressure on Flacco. The Ravens' offensive line had a ton of questions going into this game, and it wasn't until the second half before they generated a pass rush.

Not having Morris Claiborne in the secondary has hurt the Cowboys at times this year, but the unit was still good in this one. Byron Jones nor J.J. Wilcox had their best games in Week 11, but Brandon Carr was targeted often, and he had a decent day.

Flacco completed 23-of-35 passes for 267 yards and a touchdown. Dallas' defense had their typical bend, don't break performance in this game. Against a better offense, they will need to get more pressure on the quarterback. But their inability to generate pass rush didn't matter much in this game.

Grade: B+

Rushing Defense

Ron Jenkins/Associated Press

Outside of the Ravens' first touchdown drive, not much was there for Baltimore in this one. Behind the Ravens' make-shift offensive line, Terrance West had eight carries for 42 yards and a touchdown. Dallas' defense has been terrific against the run so far in 2016, and while they weren't great in this game, they weren't bad either.

Sean Lee finished with five total tackles, while Anthony Hitchens and Justin Durant chipped in with eight tackles as well. While those numbers may seem low, the Cowboys offense was on the field a ton in this game, and that led to the Ravens failing to get a consistent rushing offense.

Grade: B+

Special Teams

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If it weren't for the spectacular individual performances from Dan Bailey and Chris Jones, one would wonder if Rich Bisaccia would still have the job as the Cowboys' special teams coach. Bad alignment, horrible decision-making and flags have hurt this unit in the past few weeks. And if it weren't for penalties from Baltimore's side, it could've been worse for this unit.

However, Dan Bailey was spectacular in this game, nailing both of his field goal attempts. The Cowboys offense was inept for much of the first quarter, and that led to Jones getting more reps. Lucky Whitehead had another nice return in this game. It seems as if he's going to break one for a touchdown very soon.

Grade: A-

Coaching

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In a game where the Cowboys were out-coached for much of the first half, the necessary adjustments had to be made at halftime for Dallas to come out of this game with the win. Scott Linehan deserves a ton of credit for the offense's ability to find productivity against a terrific defensive unit. Rod Marinelli limited Flacco from having a big day.

Lastly, the Cowboys ended up with the win, marking the team's ninth consecutive win. Jason Garrett has this team rolling and if he's not the leading candidate for Coach of the Year, I'm not sure who is. This Cowboys team is real, real good and it's extremely dangerous. A large reason because of that is this coaching staff and how good they are on a weekly basis.

Grade: A+