The Cowboys have a real opening in Brazil, and it starts with the kind of game Dallas can force if the passing attack gets rolling early.
Baltimore’s defense was already exposed by New Orleans last week, and Dallas has the sort of receivers who can stress it in the same way. The Ravens are trying to keep everything in front of them under head coach Jesse Minter, especially the easy stuff downfield, but the Cowboys have three game-breakers who can punish zone coverage.
CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are both in the top three in receptions on throws that travel at least 25 yards in the air over the last three years, and Dallas knows how to take the top off coverage. Dak Prescott has already shown what that can look like against Minter’s defense, going 16/20 for 200 yards to Lamb, Pickens and tight end Jake Ferguson against the Chargers last year.
Baltimore’s safety play has been a mess so far, and that matters here. Free safety Malaki Starks has been spun around, strong safety Jaylinn Hawkins has looked indecisive in coverage, and quarterbacks have a 152.1 rating throwing at Starks this season.
Marlon Humphrey’s matchup with Chris Olave last week went badly, too, with Olave catching all five of his targets in the fourth quarter for 54 yards and a touchdown. Dallas may also be able to throw enough at Baltimore to pull Kyle Hamilton out of the box and away from linebacker duties, where he does his best work.
There’s also a path for Dallas to make life difficult on the other side of the ball, even if this Cowboys defense hasn’t shown much. It has not flashed much of a pass rush, has not done much to defend the pass, and the injury report is not helping. But if this is Carson Vinson’s first career start at left tackle, and if Baltimore’s interior line is vulnerable to twists, stunts and blitzes, that could be the equalizer.
The Ravens also haven’t gotten Derrick Henry going with a head of steam. When he is hit at least a yard to a yard and a half before contact, he becomes very mortal, and Dallas has been allowing 1.87 before contact. That run defense has been a problem for a long time, but this matchup could still swing if Baltimore can’t create space up front.
Then there’s the late-game angle, and that’s where Dallas can be dangerous. Since 2020, the Cowboys are second in the NFL in fourth-quarter scoring, behind only Buffalo, and fifth with a plus-114 scoring differential.
Baltimore, by contrast, is minus-40 in that same span. The Ravens also have a history of blowing big leads, and they just did it in Minter’s first home game.
Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver sounded like it was on their minds on Thursday, and the way they play suggests it is.
That matters if the game is tight late. Dallas tends to score well in the fourth quarter, even when some of that production comes with the defense chasing the game.
Baltimore has been the opposite, and that kind of finish would lean toward the Cowboys. With the travel edge going to Dallas in Brazil, there is a clear route for an upset if the offense hits its shots and the Ravens’ familiar fourth-quarter issues show up again.
In Other News...
Ravens Just Got A Pregame Edge Dallas Cant Ignore
The Cowboys are heading into their matchup with Baltimore already shorthanded on defense, and the injury list is hitting hard in the middle of the field and on the back end. Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, cornerback Cobie Durant, and safeties Malik Hooker and P.J. Locke have all been ruled out, leaving Dallas to patch together its coverage and run support against a Ravens offense that will be looking to test every weakness.
Rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham and cornerback Shavon Revel are expected to step into larger roles, which gives Baltimore a chance to go after some inexperienced snaps early and often. For a Ravens team that can make life difficult with pace, physicality and layered pressure, the absences on Dallas defense create a much different pregame feel than the Cowboys probably wanted entering this one. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens-Cowboys Brazil Trip Suddenly Comes With A Serious Field Concern
The Ravens Week 3 trip to face the Cowboys at Maracan Stadium in Rio de Janeiro was supposed to be one of the more intriguing items on the early-season calendar, but the conversation has shifted to the field itself. Heavy rainfall and a packed soccer schedule have left noticeable bumps and wear on the grass, creating a concern that matters to both sides long before kickoff in Brazil.
The NFL says it is confident the surface can be managed, and maintenance work is already underway to help reinforce it ahead of the game. Still, for Baltimore, the bigger picture is easy to see: a showcase matchup in a famous venue is only as good as the ground beneath it, and the coming days will determine whether this one feels like a marquee event or a slog. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Quarterback Search Takes A Turn Ravens Fans Should Notice
The Giants quarterback search has picked up another layer of intrigue after a season-ending injury forced them to sort through both the short term and the bigger picture. Jameis Winston is set to start for now, but New York is still evaluating depth behind him, and the coaching staff has kept the door open to just about every possibility as it looks for stability at the position.
One name that surfaced in the discussion was Joe Milton, though Josina Anderson reported that he remains on the Cowboys practice squad and that the Giants have not made any formal move to bring him in. For Ravens fans, it is the kind of NFC roster churn worth tracking because any quarterback shuffle in New York can ripple through the league conversation, especially with a divisional-style urgency attached to teams trying to protect themselves from being left thin behind center. [Read more 🡒]