On Sunday in Brazil, Lamar Jackson gets a matchup that should jump off the page for the Ravens. The Cowboys have been the league’s worst defense against quarterbacks who can run, and Jackson has already done damage to them on the ground before. In Baltimore’s last two meetings with Dallas, he piled up 181 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries, good for 6.7 yards per attempt, while also adding a 120.44 passer rating, 9.03 yards per throw, and three passing touchdowns.
That makes this a very real test for a Dallas defense that has already been vulnerable to mobile quarterbacks. In Week 1, Jaxson Dart ran for 54 yards on 11 carries against the Cowboys, and in the first half of Week 2, Jayden Daniels had 69 rushing yards.
Jackson, meanwhile, has not fully taken over a game with his legs yet this season. New offensive coordinator Declan Doyle has leaned into an under-center rushing approach and play-action concepts designed to get Jackson moving as a passer, part of a broader effort to keep Baltimore away from the shotgun-heavy “hero-ball” style that has tripped up the offense in the past.
Still, the option to unleash Jackson on the ground is always there, and this week may be the time to use it against a defense that has struggled to stop quarterbacks who can break contain.
The Cowboys know exactly what kind of problem is waiting for them. “We all know what it is,” Cowboys OLB Donovan Ezeiruaku said.
“You guys know. We know as players the type of guy he is.
Somebody who can throw the ball, but also run the ball at a very high level. It’s easier to say than to do, but our job is to go out there and go do.
That’s what we’re tasked with.”
Baltimore’s standing in the bigger Super Bowl picture also comes with a little historical comfort. Of the 14 teams with Super Bowl odds shorter than +2500 on BetMGM, eight already have at least one loss, including the Rams at No. 1 and the Ravens at No.
- And early-season losses have not been a deal-breaker for eventual champions.
Six of the last 10 Super Bowl winners began 1-1, including the last three champions.
There was also a rougher note from Week 2 for first-round pick Vega Ioane. His overall rookie grade sits at 61.1, which ranks fifth among 12 first-round rookies, but his individual Week 2 grade dropped to 47.7 after a solid opening performance.
Ioane played 58 snaps against principal opponent Vernon Broughton and allowed four pressures, all of them hurries, bringing his season total to six. He did show some promise as a run-blocker, though, finishing with four positive run-blocking grades and four negative ones.
In Other News...
Ravens Fans Wont Love Declan Doyles Reasoning After That Saints Loss
The Ravens are still sorting through the fallout from their loss to the Saints, and offensive coordinator Declan Doyle did not try to sidestep the criticism that followed. He acknowledged responsibility for the play-calling that drew questions, but also pointed to the bigger-picture need to keep developing young players, including rookie tight ends Matthew Hibner and Josh Cuevas, even with Super Bowl expectations hanging over the season.
For Baltimore, that tension matters because it touches both the short-term game plan and the long-term roster build. Doyles approach came in a game where usage patterns for players such as Durham Smythe and Derrick Henry also stood out, and it underscored how much influence general manager Eric DeCosta can have on in-game decisions. The result is a reminder that the Ravens are balancing urgency now with the kind of roster management that does not always sit well after a loss. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Just Got Pulled Into A Marvin Harrison Jr Trade Debate
With injuries piling up at wide receiver, the Ravens depth chart is suddenly under the microscope, and that has opened the door to some speculative outside ideas about how Baltimore could patch the position. A Bleacher Report piece floated Arizona Cardinals wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. as a potential trade target, framing him as a way to give Baltimore a much-needed boost in the passing game if the Ravens decide they need help.
The appeal is obvious: Harrison would bring more talent to a room that cant afford to keep losing bodies. The harder part is getting from a hypothetical fit to an actual deal, and the uncertainty around whether the Cardinals would even consider moving him is what keeps this from being anything more than an intriguing debate for now. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Home Opener Exposed A Familiar Problem Fans Know Too Well
The AFC North spent Week 2 looking a lot less imposing than it did in the preseason, and Baltimores home opener did not help the mood around the division. While the Bengals stayed perfect with a 20-6 win over the Texans, the Ravens were handled 27-17 by the Saints at home, a result that left the early standings lopsided and the familiar questions in Baltimore hanging in plain view.
It was the kind of loss Ravens fans have seen enough times to recognize the pattern: a chance to settle in at home, a needed step toward building momentum, and instead another flat result that opens the door to familiar concerns. Pittsburghs 20-3 defeat to New England only added to the unease around the division, but for Baltimore the bigger issue is how quickly a promising start can turn into a game that feels frustratingly recognizable. [Read more 🡒]