Jerry Jones didn’t try to dress it up. The Cowboys’ Week 3 trip to face the Baltimore Ravens has “bad matchup” written all over it, and Dallas’ own issues make it easy to see why.
Appearing Friday morning on 105.3 The Fan, Jones was blunt about what the Cowboys are walking into Sunday in Brazil against a 1-1 Ravens team.
“That’s a bad matchup. We got our work cut out for us.
It’s a rough one," Jones said, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. "We’ll be ready for them, but they’re a handful.”
Baltimore hasn’t exactly rolled through the first two weeks, either. The Ravens opened by crushing the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1, then dropped a 24-17 decision to the New Orleans Saints in Week 2. Still, the problems for Dallas line up in a way that makes this one look especially dangerous.
The biggest one is obvious: the Cowboys have been gashed on the ground. They’re allowing 173.5 rushing yards per game, which ranks third-worst in the NFL.
And it’s not just traditional running backs doing the damage. Christian Parker’s defense has also struggled to contain mobile quarterbacks.
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart ran for 54 yards on 11 carries in Week 1. Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels followed that with 69 rushing yards on seven carries in Week 2, and all of those yards came in the first half before he got hurt.
That’s a problem against a Ravens offense built around Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, two of the league’s most dangerous runners at their positions. Through two games, Baltimore is averaging 155 rushing yards per game, the fifth-most in the NFL.
The last time these teams met in 2024, Henry ripped through Dallas for 151 yards and two touchdowns, while Jackson added 87 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
The Cowboys could catch a break in the secondary if Zay Flowers doesn’t suit up, since he isn’t a lock to play. But Baltimore didn’t need a big passing day to beat Dallas last time, either. Jackson threw for just 182 yards in that game.
Dallas would love to pressure Jackson and force the Ravens out of rhythm, but the Cowboys haven’t shown they can get consistent heat on opposing quarterbacks this season. Against a quarterback with Jackson’s movement ability, that only gets tougher.
Unless the defense makes a major jump in Week 3, this looks like a steep hill for Dallas to climb.
In Other News...
Cowboys Fans Already Have A Dak Problem Before Rio Kickoff
The Cowboys are about to make history in Rio de Janeiro, but the buildup to their regular-season game at Maracan Stadium has already turned into a debate over more than just travel and logistics. Players have noted that the field was very soft, which is enough to make anyone around the team pay closer attention to how the surface will hold up once Dallas and Baltimore actually take the field.
Even before kickoff, though, Cowboys fans found another reason to grumble. Social media lit up after caricatures of Dak Prescott and Lamar Jackson were displayed at the stadium, and plenty of viewers thought Prescotts version did him no favors. It is a small detail in a big international showcase, but for a fan base that already watches every Dak storyline closely, it was the kind of pregame image that got people talking fast. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Brazil Game Suddenly Comes With A Serious Field Concern
The Cowboys trip to Brazil for their upcoming game has picked up an unexpected wrinkle, and it has nothing to do with the opponent. NFLPA executive director JC Tretter raised concerns about the field quality at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, pointing to problems with traction and stability after recent heavy rainfall and a long soccer season have taken their toll on the surface.
Maracana is not an NFL facility, and the leagues previous games in Brazil were played at a different venue with a smaller capacity, which only sharpens the scrutiny on how this one will hold up. Experts have already recommended reinforced stitching and other measures to improve the field, but the real question now is whether those fixes will be enough before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Defense Faces Its Biggest Early Test Against Lamar Jackson
The Cowboys pass rush has been active enough to create disruption in the first two games of the 2026 season, but the finishing touch has not been there. Dallas has produced 31 pressures and 10 hits, yet only two sacks, and the early result has been a defense that has had trouble turning heat into clean stops. That has mattered even more because opposing quarterbacks have found space to run, with Dallas allowing 135 rushing yards to the position over those two games.
Now comes Baltimore and Lamar Jackson, the kind of matchup that can expose even small cracks in a front sevens discipline. Jacksons mobility and scrambling ability make him a difficult target for any defense, but especially one that has already shown some frustration getting quarterbacks to the ground. For Dallas, this looks like the first real stress test of how well its pass rush can hold up when the passer is also a threat to turn a broken play into a big gain. [Read more 🡒]