The Cowboys got the result they needed in Week 2, but the defensive concerns that followed them out of the opener never really left.
Dallas beat Washington 37-20 and finally got the season’s first win, yet the box score glosses over some ugly moments on that side of the ball. The defense gave up a first-down conversion on third-and-18, got pushed around in the run game again, and benefited from a ruling that wiped out what looked like a Dyami Brown touchdown. Instead of a potential 17-17 game, Washington had to settle for a field goal and a 17-13 score.
That’s the part former NFL quarterback Alex Smith zeroed in on. Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up, Smith made it clear he still doesn’t trust what Dallas has put on tape through two weeks.
"Listen, there's nothing in these two weeks that gives me any kind of confidence that this defense has improved in any significant way. Right?
They gave up 200 yards rushing yesterday at home. Washington.
In a game they were off," Smith said. "I mean, yeah, to the point if they could just be a little disruptive, if they could be okay situationally combined with this offense, this team and this division has a real chance, I think."
That warning lands hard with Baltimore waiting in Week 3.
The Cowboys and Ravens are set for the NFL’s first-ever regular season game in Rio de Janeiro, and while there have already been concerns about the field, Dallas has a much bigger football problem in front of it. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are coming.
Henry has already piled up 212 rushing yards and four touchdowns through two games. Jackson has only 74 rushing yards and a touchdown, but he’s averaging 6.7 yards per attempt and can change a game with one burst.
No one should expect Dallas to completely shut Baltimore’s run game down. The real issue is whether the Cowboys can avoid getting steamrolled the way they did against the Giants in Week 1 and bullied by Washington in Week 2.
That makes this a major assignment for defensive coordinator Christian Parker, who has to have the right plan and can’t let a win over Washington convince the Cowboys they’ve fixed anything on defense.
In Other News...
Malaki Starks Is Giving Ravens A Defensive Problem They Can't Ignore
Malaki Starks first few games of the 2026 season have put the Ravens in an uncomfortable spot. The second-year safety has been on the field for every snap, but the returns have been rough, with coverage issues and missed tackles showing up in a recent game against the New Orleans Saints and his work drawing a very low PFF grade.
For Baltimore, the problem is bigger than one shaky outing. A player trusted that heavily is hard to simply bench, yet the Ravens have to decide whether to keep riding with Starks in the same role or start adjusting the defense around him. How they handle that balance could shape both the short-term stability of the secondary and Starks long-term development. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Already Have A Passing Depth Concern Behind Mark Andrews
Mark Andrews did his part in Week 2, catching six passes for 49 yards, but the bigger question for the Ravens came after him. Baltimore is leaning on a pair of rookie tight ends, Matthew Hibner and Josh Cuevas, to help replace the passing-game work once handled by Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar, and the early returns were quiet. Neither rookie saw a target or recorded a catch, which left the offense with far less receiving punch at the position than it had in the recent past.
Late-round rookies usually need time, and the Ravens are not expecting immediate volume from every reserve tight end. Still, the drop-off is hard to ignore when the passing attack is trying to stay balanced and Andrews cannot carry the load alone. Baltimore will need more than just roster depth from Hibner and Cuevas if it wants the position to remain a reliable part of the game plan. [Read more 🡒]
Elijah Sarratt Just Ran Into A Bigger Ravens Problem
Elijah Sarratts first two weeks with the Ravens have already told a pretty clear story. The fourth-round pick was inactive in Week 1, then didnt play a single snap in Week 2 even with injuries thinning out Baltimores receiver group, a sign the coaching staff is not yet viewing him as someone ready to factor into the offense.
LaJohntay Wester and Chris Moore were the next men up, and Baltimore leaned on their skill sets and experience instead of turning to the rookie. For a team trying to patch together answers at wide receiver, that choice says as much about the current pecking order as it does about Sarratts development, and it leaves the Ravens with a bigger question about when, or if, he can earn a real role. [Read more 🡒]