Chasing that top spot in their respective divisions, both the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens have similarly underperformed over the last few seasons donning enviable rosters. I see many parallels between these two teams and will outline below.
Comparing the Plights of the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens
Enviable Rosters
Let’s go through some quick team inventory for each squad.
- Baltimore Ravens: Quarterback Lamar Jackson, Center Tyler Linderbaum, Linebacker Patrick Queen, Kicker Justin Tucker, Tight End Mark Andrews, Wide Receiver Zay Flowers (rookie), Cornerback Marlon Humphrey, Linebacker Roquan Smith
Keep in mind this Ravens team is without both RB JK Dobbins.
- Dallas Cowboys: Quarterback Dak Prescott, Wide Receiver CeeDee Lamb, Running Back Tony Pollard, Right Guard Zack Martin, Linebacker Micah Parsons, Cornerback Stephon Gilmore, Defensive End DeMarcus Lawrence
A glaring loss before their 2023 opener would be the season-ending injury to pick machine Cornerback Trevon Diggs.
A Similar History
Both the Ravens and Cowboys have 5 playoff appearances since 2018 (each lost in two Divisional matchups and one Wild Card)
2022 Season Team Stats
Offense
- Baltimore: 16th
- Dallas: 11th
Defense
- Baltimore: 10th
- Dallas: 12th
Special Teams
- Baltimore: 8th
- Dallas: 11th
2023 Season Team Stats (through 5 weeks)
Offense
- Baltimore: 13th
- Dallas: 17th
 Defense
- Baltimore: 2nd
- Dallas: 5th
Special Teams
- Baltimore: 20th
- Dallas: 32ndÂ
Both Head Coaches, John Harbaugh and Mike McCarthy, have one Super Bowl victory under their belts (McCarthy with the Green Bay Packers-not Dallas). With some loaded rosters they have had since it begs the question of their ability to get them over the hump and in a position to win more championships.
All of this leads me to believe that if Baltimore and Dallas don’t reach their conference championships, it will be yet another unfortunate flop. We may even see some coaching overhauls depending on how the rest of the season shakes out.
What other similarities do you see between these teams? Do any other teams seem to be AFC/NFC carbon copies of one another? Let us know @DraftCountdown on the X app!