The Ravens dominated the Cowboys 31-13 in their preseason matchup, but there was a moment that silenced the Baltimore fans in attendance. Cooper Rush threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown against his former team early in the first quarter, which momentarily concerned Ravens supporters. However, the most unexpected part of the game came during John Harbaugh’s post-game comments, where he made some surprising remarks that caught people off guard.

When asked about Rush, Harbaugh didn’t bother with qualifiers: “I thought he played great for us. We almost had 300 yards in the first half.”  A seasoned coach’s reaction when one of his players has made a genuine mistake. “Cooper coming back, playing against his old team, and winning and playing great football,” Harbaugh said. “He’s been playing like this all camp.”

And it’s not just about protecting him. Rush did have a good game outside that mistake. As CBS Sports reported, it was a happy homecoming for Rush. Baltimore throttled Dallas early: 273 yards on 50 snaps to the Cowboys’ 19 plays, with a 16–2 edge in first downs. They stacked an early 18–7 halftime lead. Rush was the steady force driving the offense, maintaining tempo with well-timed passes and sustaining drives. Harbaugh’s comment about “almost 300” yards wasn’t far off.

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Oh, and he went 20-of-30 for 198 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions before halftime. He also finished a bold fourth-down call with a one-yard toss to Keith Kirkwood. That’s what stuck in Harbaugh’s mind, not the pick 6.

Baltimore signed Rush to a two-year contract in March to secure the backup quarterback position behind Lamar Jackson. This was a significant improvement for a team that has struggled with a 4-10 record in games without Jackson since 2019. Rush brought valuable experience with a 9-5 record as a starter and a reputation for playing smart, conservative football.

Both preseason games have shown the improvement that Rush has brought to his game. Against Indy, Rush’s first throw went straight to the defense. In Dallas, he absorbed a pick-six, reset, and then created scoring drives before halftime. That kind of week-to-week adjustment is exactly what Harbaugh and team will be looking forward to.

But as good as he was for the entire game, and as much as Harbaugh seems to want to ignore it, the fans can’t. Because when the league starts? This can prove to be big.

Rush’s freebie and what it could’ve cost

The pick-six nearly changed the game’s momentum early on. Rush’s pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown in the first quarter, which flipped a 5-0 Ravens advantage into a 7-5 lead for Dallas.

From a game point of view, that’s a seven-point swing on a defense that had barely broken a sweat. Baltimore owned every other category yet had to chase because of that turnover. Fine in August, but in September, those are the freebies that flip real games.

Harbaugh put it in the right frame. What mattered was Rush settling in at 66.7% completions and keeping drives alive. That’s the QB2 test: can you steady the train once it jumps the rails?

He needs to get it right, yes. Of course he does. But you cannot zoom in on the one negative while putting aside every positive in his display. If you criticise the guy for what he did wrong, praise him for what he did right. Just like John Harbaugh did.