The Cowboys head into Week 3 with their attention fixed on Baltimore, and the matchup comes with an added wrinkle: the game will be played in Rio de Janeiro as part of the NFL International Series. There are real concerns about the condition of the field, but Dallas can’t control that part of the equation. What it can control is how it handles a Ravens team that’s 1-1 and coming off a surprising loss to the New Orleans Saints.
For Dallas, the path to a win starts with the ground game waking up. Even in a 37-point performance in Week 2, the Cowboys got very little from their running attack.
The offense managed only 66 rushing yards, and Javonte Williams was held to 30 of them. Through two games, Williams has 71 yards on 24 carries, which works out to 3.0 yards per attempt.
That’s a sharp drop from 2025, when Williams piled up 1,201 yards and averaged 4.8 per carry. While Dak Prescott and the passing game drew most of the attention, Williams’ ability to keep the chains moving with his physical style was a big part of the offense’s success. Against Baltimore, Dallas needs that version of Williams back if it wants any real shot at knocking off the Ravens and keeping Lamar Jackson on the sideline.
Containing Jackson is the next major challenge, and it’s a big one. The former NFL MVP can carve up a secondary, but his most dangerous work comes when he and Derrick Henry get loose on the ground.
Dallas has already had trouble slowing the run, giving up 347 rushing yards over its first two games. Baltimore has put up 310 rushing yards of its own.
That means the Cowboys need impact plays from defenders like Quinnen Williams to help choke off the Ravens’ rushing attack and force Jackson into a more one-dimensional game. Even that won’t guarantee much, but it would at least give Dallas a better chance to stay in the fight.
If Jackson is pushed into throwing more often, the Cowboys’ secondary still has to hold up. That’s been a problem against New York and Washington, where the defensive backs have struggled to stay attached to receivers. Christian Parker’s defense has allowed 436 yards, and the bigger issue has been how comfortable quarterbacks have looked against it.
Wide receivers have had too much room to work against Dallas so far, and that can’t happen again if the Cowboys want to leave Brazil with a win.
In Other News...
Jerry Jones Pushes Back As Cowboys Get Pulled Into NFL Debate
Jerry Jones is not buying the idea that the NFL is anywhere close to planting a permanent flag overseas, even as the league keeps leaning harder into its international push. The Cowboys owner said an international expansion team feels like a long way off, pushing back on the notion that Europe is ready to house an NFL franchise anytime soon.
Still, Jones was not dismissing the leagues global ambitions outright. The Cowboys are headed to Brazil for the NFLs first game in Rio de Janeiro, another sign of how far the sport has stretched beyond U.S. borders, and Jones acknowledged the complications that come with taking games abroad while still supporting the effort to grow the league. Roger Goodell has made clear he sees international teams as inevitable, with London viewed as the likeliest landing spot, leaving one of the NFLs most influential owners on the skeptical side of a debate that is only getting louder. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Face A Real Problem Ahead Of Rio Showdown With Cowboys
The NFLs first regular-season game in Rio de Janeiro is set to bring the Cowboys and Ravens to Maracan Stadium on Sept. 27, but the buildup has already taken on an unusual tone because of the playing surface. Heavy rain, heat and a packed soccer calendar have left the grass in poor condition, creating the kind of backdrop that can alter how a game unfolds before either team takes a snap.
For Dallas, the setting adds another layer to an early-season matchup that already matters, since both clubs enter at 1-1. The league plans to move ahead anyway, and the field is expected to be part of the story in a game that could look and feel very different from a typical September Sunday. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Defense Suddenly Has A Ravens Problem Fans Need To Watch
Dallas got a clearer look at its defensive health picture on the Week 3 injury report, and it comes at a time when the Ravens are looming on the schedule. Cobie Durant, Malik Hooker, P.J. Locke, DeMarvion Overshown and James Houston all showed up on the report, giving the Cowboys another reminder that the secondary and linebacker depth is still very much in flux heading into a tough matchup.
Brian Schottenheimers updates only sharpened the concern. Overshown is a low-probability play because of a hamstring injury, Locke is working back from plantar fasciitis with a possible return within four weeks, and Durant is still rehabbing his own hamstring issue. Hooker, meanwhile, remains sidelined while recovering from a fractured forearm and is not expected back this week, leaving Dallas with more questions than answers as it tries to get its defense ready for Baltimore. [Read more 🡒]