Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens climbed up the NFL’s all-time winning percentage leaderboard thanks to a strong regular season while the Dallas Cowboys took a tumble
The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2024 NFL season with the best regular season winning percentage of the league’s 32 seasons with a 57.6 percent clip.
After a disappointing 7-10 campaign coinciding with a 12-5 record by the Baltimore Ravens, Dallas tumbled to second in the all-time win-percentage table (57.38 percent to 57.36 percent) thanks in part to a strong season by Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson.
The Ravens entered 2024 ranked third all-time, and their 12th win of the campaign was enough to also pip the 11-5 Green Bay Packers (who fell to third). How did this happen? How did “America’s team” relinquish a mark that would have seemed incomprehensible as recently as the 1990s?
Baltimore Ravens
What went right for the Ravens in 2024? Let’s start with the obvious: Baltimore’s 2024 offense averaged the 16th most yards per game in the history of the NFL (per Statmuse).
Who was mostly responsible for that? Two-time (and potentially three-time in a matter of weeks) NFL MVP Jackson: the electric quarterback completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 4,172 yards with a sparkling 41-4 touchdown-interception ratio.
Not to be forgotten, the Ravens’ initially wobbly defense improved tremendously in the second half thanks to All-Pro performances by cornerback Marlon Humphrey and safety Kyle Hamilton.
Dallas Cowboys
What went wrong for the Cowboys in 2024? Quarterback Dak Prescott signed a four-year, $240 million guaranteed contract ahead of the season only to undergo season-ending surgery in November for a partial tendon avulsion.
Cooper Rush was serviceable in his place, but a talented Dallas defense struggled, in part due to a series of key injuries, leaving the Cowboys’ offense to play catch-up. Fifth-year coach Mike McCarthy did not receive a new contract after the season, leaving owner Jerry Jones’s side in the market for a new general.
Looking ahead to 2025
With Jackson under contract for the long haul and running back Derrick Henry continuing to prove Father Time wrong, the Ravens will likely return as one of the strongest teams in the NFL in 2025. Meanwhile, the Cowboys have the potential to immediately improve with a new head coach thanks to a returning Prescott a generally talented roster.