Today’s edition of Flashback Friday looks back at the Ravens’ 27-0 beat down of the Dallas Cowboys from the Super Bowl-winning season in November, 2000. I don’t know about you, but I kinda hate the Cowboys. And boy-oh-boy was this ever a whipping.
The game marked Dallas’ first return to Baltimore since the Colts left town, and the game was played in front of a national television audience on Fox. John Madden was on the call, and he spent much of the game swinging down memory lane. He talked about the epic playoff matchups between the Colts and his Raiders from the 1970s. Fox also showed a couple shots of the home where Babe Ruth was born, just a long fly from Camden Yards.
This was particularly meaningful because the Ravens were still relatively new to the world back in 2000. The team never had a winning season up until that point and were rarely showcased to a national audience. And seeing the city and Baltimore sports history being praised and put on display by someone like John Madden during a primetime telecast meant a lot to the Baltimore diehards back then.
Madden even (accidentally) referred to the Ravens as the Baltimore Colts on a couple of occasions. Because, despite what the NFL would have you believe, they used to play in Baltimore. But anyway, I digress….
The Cowboys had one of the worst rush defenses in the league that year, and it showed big time. Jamal Lewis bulldozed through the front line for 187 rushing yards on 28 carries. The Ravens as a team ran for 250 yards on the day, which was 58 more yards than the Cowboys had in total offense all evening.
The Cowboys were led by quarterback Troy Aikman and running back Emmitt Smith. You may or may not have heard of them before. They certainly knew how to football. The Ravens limited Smith to only 48 yards rushing, and Aikman threw for all of 138 yards to go along with his 3 interceptions. The Cowboys’ offense wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire that year, but they were still shutout in the game for the first time since September of 1991. That’s nine years. It was also the Ravens’ fourth shutout of the season. Our defense was pretty good that year if you recall. Best of all-time. Better than the 2013 Seahawks, despite what Skip Bayless says. Not even close.
Offensively for the Ravens, besides Jamal Lewis’ superb day running the football, Qadry Ismail had a spectacular 40-yard touchdown reception in the corner of the end zone only 3 minutes into the game. The ball went right through the arms of defender Phillippi Sparks and into Ismail’s hands. Shannon Sharpe also had a big day, hauling in 5 catches for 101 yards.
This game came on the heels of the Ravens’ dramatic 24-23 win in Tennessee the week prior. The Ravens’ thrashing of the Cowboys was a statement game. It let everyone know the Ravens were for real, and that the city of Baltimore had something special in their Ravens.
The Ravens didn’t lose a game the rest of the season. Their next loss came in Week 2 of the 2001 season.
Fun fact: The only team in the NFL that has never beaten the Ravens would be the Dallas Cowboys. The Ravens are 4-0 all-time against Dallas.
