IRVING, Texas — All the hoopla surrounding the farewell to Texas Stadium was supposed to fire up the Dallas Cowboys. Well, it got to the Baltimore Ravens too.
And the Ravens refused to play the stooge. Baltimore’s Matt Stover, who sold programs outside the stadium as a kid growing up in the area, kicked four field goals to wipe out an early deficit.
Willis McGahee and Le’Ron McClain then ripped off long, record runs each time the Cowboys got close in the final minutes, sending Baltimore to a 33-24 victory on Saturday night and a step closer to the playoffs.
“It wasn’t a homecoming game. It was more like a mock funeral,” McGahee said. “We spoiled their day. It was probably the best concert ever in Irving, Texas.”
Tony Romo tried to add one last memory to the long list of great games played at the stadium, throwing touchdowns to Terrell Owens and Jason Witten in the final 3:50. Each score got the Cowboys within two points, but the Ravens refused to buckle.
On Baltimore’s first snap after Owens’ touchdown, McGahee broke through a line bunched up to stop the run and ran 77 yards for a touchdown. It was the longest of his career, and it tied the longest ever by an opponent at Texas Stadium. McLain broke that record on the Ravens’ next snap, going 82 yards for the longest touchdown of his career.
“We wanted to be party crashers,” Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “I hope they enjoyed their little ceremony.”
The Ravens (10-5) bounced back from a controversial last-minute loss to Pittsburgh to win for the fourth time in five games. The Cowboys (9-6) lost for the second time in three weeks, rekindling talk of their December disasters.
