Went to 2 too early?

ARLINGTON, Texas– It was a wild game. For three quarters, the Cowboys seemed no match for the Ravens, who built a 22-point lead.

But the Cowboys got back on their feet and used great plays, an onside kick and improved defense. In the end, however, it was not enough, as the Ravens prevailed 28-25.

Let's look at seven moves that could have made the difference in this game.

Opening of the game – Let's leave it at the coin toss. Not only did the Cowboys win the coin toss, choosing to take the “damn” ball according to captain Israel Mukuamu, but they didn't do anything with it. Taking the ball was supposed to give the Cowboys an early offensive to build a lead. But it resulted in a punt, and the Ravens marched down the field and scored easily. To make matters worse, the Ravens did the same thing after the third quarter, scoring on the first possession of the third quarter.

Tyler Smith’s holding call – The Cowboys had some momentum in the second quarter when they managed a first down at the Ravens' 9-yard line. But on first-and-goal, Tyler Smith was penalized for holding in the pocket, which caused him to push the ball back to the 19-yard line. It's always an uphill battle to score, but the Cowboys at least managed a pass to CeeDee Lamb, but he was stripped of the ball and the Ravens recovered it at the 9-yard line. Without the holding call, it's likely fourth-down territory to try to cut into the Ravens' 14-3 lead.

Prescott misses Elliott in the apartment – For the second straight game, Dak Prescott missed a pass to running back Ezekiel Elliott on the right. On third-and-7 at the Cowboys' 34-yard line just before halftime, Prescott threw the ball to Elliott, who was unable to turn to catch the ball. That forced the Cowboys to punt the ball to the Ravens, who took over the drive at their own 12-yard line and traveled 88 yards in eight plays — without ever reaching third down — to score and make the game 21-3.

Offsetting of penalties negates PI – Trailing 21-3 just before halftime, the Cowboys were hoping for a field goal attempt. But Prescott ran into the end zone to get Lamb, who was tackled twice and then tackled, resulting in a pass interference penalty. However, a quarterback holding call on Tyler Guyton negated the PI call and resulted in a penalty. Instead of the Cowboys having the ball inside the Ravens' 5-man line with six seconds left, they were left with a 51-yard field goal attempt by Brandon Aubrey. A 21-6 deficit at halftime could have become a 21-10 deficit without the penalty.

Jackson frees himself for 16 – At this point, the game was almost out of control. The Ravens started the third quarter with a drive and the Cowboys desperately needed a stop. They got a holding call against Baltimore that pushed the Ravens back to first-and-20 at the Dallas 42, but a 16-yard run by Lamar Jackson got them back in the game. That allowed the Ravens to run on second down and Derrick Henry scored a 26-yard touchdown for a 28-6 lead.

Two-point decision? – It's easy to focus on hindsight, but when the Cowboys scored their first touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to 28-12, Mike McCarthy opted for a two-point conversion to cut the lead to 14. At the time, it seemed like an innocuous decision. But after the incomplete throw into the end zone, the Cowboys then attempted the onside kick and recovered it. The offense promptly stormed the field again and scored a touchdown, also scoring two points to cut the game to eight points. Another missed attempt kept the score at a 10-point deficit, 28-18. Had the Cowboys simply kicked the extra points, they would have trailed 28-20 when they got the ball back, assuming the Ravens had played their offensive possession the same way. Again, it's easy to think about it again today, but one wonders what that scenario might have looked like.

Flowers with the sideline grip – The Cowboys forced a third-and-long and actually had Jackson throw the ball in the air. But his pass to Zay Flowers was intercepted for a first down grab with 2:28 left. Had the Cowboys made that stop, they would have gotten the ball back before the two-minute warning and with a timeout. They would not only have been in good position to get into field goal range for Aubrey, but perhaps even better.