Deflated by Week 2 losses, the Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens meet Sunday at Dallas where only one can come away with a bounce-back victory.
Baltimore fell to 0-2 for the first time since 2015 with a 26-23 setback to the visiting Las Vegas Raiders and nears desperate times as fall arrives. Even with a win in Dallas, the Ravens are on a tightrope. They have a primetime visit to Buffalo (2-0) on deck next Sunday followed by a grudge match with AFC North rival Cincinnati (0-2).
Dallas was blown out 44-19 by the New Orleans Saints, snapping a 16-game home winning streak in the regular season. The Cowboys allowed 190 yards rushing and a bigger challenge arrives in the Ravens, who are seventh in the NFL with 168 yards rushing per game with dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson and four-time Pro-Bowl rusher Derrick Henry teaming as a formidable 1-2 punch.
“We made some technique adjustments that we need to be better at,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said about the run defense this week. “We can’t get gapped, and we were gapped time and time again. That puts more pressure on your second-level defenders, obviously your linebackers and our primary support element. But yeah, we have to. It’s that first step, the discipline, playing the technique, and making sure the fit behind them is in order. We definitely were not clean and we weren’t consistent.”
There are sharks in the water ahead on Dallas’ schedule, too, with the Steelers (2-0), 49ers (1-1) and Lions (1-1) comprising the Cowboys’ slate in October.
The Ravens have three new starters on the offensive line and left tackle Ronnie Stanley isn’t at full strength. He was on the injury report Wednesday with an ankle injury.
Pass and run blocking were both a struggle over the past two games. The mobile Jackson has been sacked three times. Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons was held without a sack against the Saints, but he should create matchup problems against the Ravens.
Baltimore, which leads the regular-season series 5-1 against the Cowboys, needs to get the running game revved up to set up the pass. After a slow start, Henry finished with 84 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown.
Jackson has thrown for 520 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in two games. He will likely test the Dallas pass defense, which is ranked 16th in the NFL allowing 189.5 yards passing per game.
Jackson is agitated by his team’s early struggles and is determined to get the season on track.
“(We’ve) just got to find a way to win,” Jackson said. “I’m not used to being 0-2. (We’ve) just got to catch our momentum and get it started right away.”
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott agreed to a four-year, $240 million contract with a record $231 million guaranteed earlier this month. Prescott had an uneven performance over the past two games, throwing for 472 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. As a veteran, Prescott understands the pressure to win as the Cowboys quarterback.
“That’s one thing that I’ve grown to realize, especially in this organization when you’re playing on national TV every week. You are the Cowboys and the attention that we get is, if you lose, you’re down here,” Prescott said. “If we win, you’re way up there. None of that really matters. It’s about for us to trust the process, trusting one another, responding each and every day to get better. I know that we have the guys in there that can do that.”
The Ravens’ pass rush has seven sacks in two games. However, the secondary appears vulnerable to big plays. Dallas wide receiver CeeDee Lamb could be poised to have a huge game. In the season opener, Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice caught seven passes for 103 yards and often ran free in front of and behind Baltimore’s defense.
And Davante Adams finished with 110 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions last week.
Prescott likely will target Lamb and Jalen Tolbert early and often. However, Lamb landed on the injury report this week with an ankle issue and tight end Jake Ferguson (knee) didn’t play in Week 2. He was limited in Wednesday’s practice.
Ravens rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins missed the previous game and practice this week after he was involved in a car accident resulting in a concussion and neck injury.
One of the biggest challenges facing the Ravens is closing out games. Over the past five seasons, the Ravens have had 10 losses when leading by seven or more points in the fourth quarter — the most by any team.
Conversely, Prescott has led the Cowboys to 22 wins when they are tied or trailing in the fourth quarter or overtime since 2016 — second most in franchise history behind Tony Romo (24).
“Giving up a fourth-quarter lead is never OK — it’s not acceptable; it should never happen,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “You do it because you don’t play consistent football to get the stops that you need to get, and our guys know that — they’ll take accountability for it. Coaches will take accountability for it.
“When I say, âUs,’ I mean all of us — players and coaches together.”
