Baltimore Ravens 33, Dallas Cowboys 24

by Erin Rice

In its final game, the 37-season-old Texas Stadium played host to a host of emotions as the Dallas Cowboys faced the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night. As the temperature dropped, the fans' patience with their team did as well, and the "boos" flew out from the stands as the Cowboys tried to pull it together for the farewell game.

Dallas was first on the scoreboard, when Tashard Choice ran in a two-yard touchdown, but it would his side's only score of the first half. Tony Romo threw two interceptions and by halftime had a QB rating of 7.8. Kicker Matt Stover nailed three field goals in the first half to put the Ravens up 9-7 going into the locker rooms.

With so much at stake one would have thought the Cowboys would come out charging in the second half, but the Ravens' defense befuddled the 'Boys offense at almost every turn. With a touchdown in the third quarter and yet another field goal in the fourth, Baltimore began to run away with the game, leading 19-10 with six and a half minutes left on the clock. But a moment of clarity and a spark of life led Dallas up field, and after a great catch in the middle from Jason Witten, and a seven-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens, the Cowboys were within two points of the Ravens with 3:50 left in play.

Not so fast. The high was dashed when in the first return play Willis McGahee broke a number of tackles and rushed up the center 77 yards for the touchdown. It was the longest rush of McGahee's career and beat his previous run this season by 60 yards. With the game all but done, Dallas scored once again on a 21-yard touchdown pass to Witten with 1:36 left. But again, the Cowboys defense was asleep at the wheel and allowed Baltimore to score on their first play of the return run, with an 83-yard touchdown run from Le'Ron McClain. It was the longest run from an opposing back in Texas Stadium history, finalizing the game at 33-24 in Baltimore's favor.

While the Cowboys aren't out of the playoff hunt, their options are lessened quite a bit. A win in Philadelphia on December 28 is a must. The Ravens remain in the running for AFC's sixth seed.

Following the 313th and final game at Texas Stadium, the Cowboys organization held a celebration, honoring decades of players from the franchise's storied history.

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