IRVING, Texas -This Sunday the Cowboys will be looking to do something that no NFC teams have been able to do in quite some time: win in Baltimore.
In fact, if the Ravens are able to defeat the Cowboys in front of their home crowd, they will successfully go an entire presidential term without losing to an NFC team at home. Since 2008, the Ravens are 8-0 against NFC opponents in Baltimore, and over the course of their existence, have a home record of 24-5-1 against their rival conference.
The fact that individual NFC teams do not face the Ravens on a regular basis and therefore are not as familiar with them may have something to do with the Ravens' success. Combine that with a team that has always won with great defense and the result is NFC teams going into Baltimore have a difficult time trying to execute.
However, it's not just an NFC thing, the Ravens are simply a great home team. They were a perfect 8-0 last season when playing in Baltimore with wins over the Steelers, Texans and 49ers.
The Ravens look at their success at M&T Bank Stadium and credit how much they enjoy playing in front of their home crowd. Ray Lewis talked about his fondness for the stadium.
"It's a great environment to play in," Lewis said. "It's a fantastic place to play in, very loud."
Head coach John Harbaugh did not have an explanation for their home success, only pointing out that they always seem to play at a high level in Baltimore.
"We play well usually, that's probably the No. 1 thing," Harbaugh said. "We've had great teams so that helps. We have a great crowd. It's very much a football environment."
The Cowboy players are well aware of the Ravens' dominance in Baltimore and what it will take to fly back to Dallas with a victory.
"What you see is what you get," cornerback Brandon Carr said. "Tough team, especially a tough team to beat at home. We have our work cut out for us this week."
Marcus Spears pointed out that the Ravens are simply a very good team that will play at a high level wherever they play, especially at home.
"They're a good football team," Spears said. "It's difficult to beat them when they come to your house. Obviously (playing at Baltimore) is a challenge, but we feel like we're going to do what's necessary this week to give ourselves the best chance."
