The Dallas Cowboys may be sitting at 1-2 after losses to the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens, but there’s still enough on the tape to keep hope alive. The start to the 2026 NFL season hasn’t gone the way Dallas wanted in the standings, yet the offense has shown enough against the Commanders and Ravens to suggest this team could still belong among the league’s better groups.
That optimism, of course, doesn’t erase what Cowboys fans are chasing. Everybody knows what this fan base wants: a Super Bowl.
And every week, they show up like they expect the franchise to act like one. That was on full display in the Ravens game, which turned into a massive audience draw on a bigger stage.
The Cowboys’ matchup with Baltimore was the most-viewed international game in NFL history.
“The first regular-season NFL game held in Rio de Janeiro has set a new viewership record. The Baltimore Ravens ' 34-31 victory over the Dallas Cowboys averaged 24.9 million viewers on CBS.
“According to Nielsen data released by the network, it is the most-watched international game in NFL history,” Romain Champagne of DAZN wrote.
It makes sense that this one landed so big. Dallas brings eyes wherever it goes, and Baltimore has a strong following of its own.
Add Lamar Jackson into the mix, along with two elite quarterbacks, and this was always going to feel like a game fans should tune in for. It delivered plenty of action, even if it ended with a frustrating Dallas loss in a game the Cowboys probably believed they could have taken.
In Other News...
Ravens Face One Ugly Threat That Could Derail Lamar Jackson
The Ravens are walking into Sunday with a familiar kind of worry hanging over the offense: protection. Tennessees defense has long been built around Jeffery Simmons, and Baltimores line is still trying to sort through its own issues, including a rookie guard being asked to start at center. With Lamar Jackson under center, the margin for error shrinks quickly when the pocket is unstable, and this matchup threatens to make every pre-snap decision matter.
Baltimores staff knows the answer is not simply asking Jackson to escape trouble after it starts. Declan Doyle pointed back to past performance and the need for cleaner execution, which is a reminder that the Ravens have to arrive with a plan, not a hope. If the line cannot hold up against Simmons and the Titans front, the game could turn into an uncomfortable test of how much Jackson can create on his own. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Pass Rush Suddenly Faces A Bigger Trey Hendrickson Concern
A week that already carried some uncertainty around the edge of the defense took another turn when Jesse Minter said outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson will not play against the Tennessee Titans. Hendrickson dealt with multiple fractures in a finger in Week 1, then missed every practice this week while looking for a permanent solution, leaving Baltimore to manage one of its key pass-rush pieces without him for at least this matchup.
The hope inside the building is that the surgery serves as a short-term fix that lets the finger heal properly over the long haul, but the immediate reality is a pass rush that has to adjust without one of its more disruptive options. For a defense that leans on pressure to set the tone, the next question is how quickly Hendrickson can get back to being available and effective once the medical side is settled. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Offensive Line Faces A Real Test Around Rookie Center
The Ravens are heading into a week that will put a rookie center right at the middle of everything, with Vega Ioane expected to make his first career start because injuries have thinned out the depth chart. Ioane has limited experience snapping and setting the line from that spot, so Baltimore is leaning on a group that knows how to steady the front, including Ronnie Stanley, John Simpson, Andrew Vorhees, and Roger Rosengarten.
Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle has already made clear that the operation around Ioane has to be cleaner and louder, with more communication helping cover for a young player learning on the fly. It is the kind of assignment that can test not just the center, but the cohesion of the entire line, and the Ravens will find out quickly whether their veteran help is enough to keep the middle from becoming a problem. [Read more 🡒]