It’s safe to believe Jerry Jones this time when he touts a Cowboys home game unlike any other on Sunday.
Dallas (1-1) and the Baltimore Ravens (1-1) are headed to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for an NFL international regular-season contest.
The Ravens are trying to regain their footing in multiple ways. They blew a lead at home to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, bringing old scars to the surface from previous seasons when the offense couldn’t possibly do enough to balance out a defense prone to collapsing in the second half.
First-year coach Jesse Minter told the Ravens to embrace the adversity together and tackle it head-on as part of the planning for a 10-hour flight and a game against a playoff-caliber opponent.
“I’m focused on creating a mentality that we play our style in those big moments. I felt like guys started pressing a little bit and you’re searching for that big play in those key moments. In reality, your identity as a player needs to show up in those crunch-time situations,” Minter said. “Our first real adversity as a group together, I would say, and it’s a chance for us to learn each other and how we handle adversity.”
There are also concerns about field conditions at Maracana Stadium. The playing surface became a hot topic with the NFL confirming work was needed to get it up to the league’s standards by Sunday afternoon.
Minter understands the state of the field might have an impact on his own lineup decisions, including wide receiver Zay Flowers. He posted a career-high 150 receiving yards in Week 1 at Indianapolis but didn’t play in the second half of that game, or at all in last week’s game, because of a hamstring injury. Flowers did not practice on Wednesday.
“You have to take everything into account. I think most importantly, what’s best for him,” Minter said of Flowers, who is officially day-to-day.
Left tackle Ronnie Stanley couldn’t finish last week’s game because of a toe injury.
This is the first international game for the Cowboys in 12 years. But most of head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s concerns are around consistency. Dallas, the designated home team for Sunday, has yet to get the kind of production it wants from the running game, and now quarterback Dak Prescott faces a defense with a diverse set of playmakers. Schottenheimer said one who stands out is safety Kyle Hamilton, who lines up just about everywhere imaginable in the defensive front Minter devised.
“This guy’s an absolute game wrecker. When they’re needing to make a play, they’re going to send him,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s always around the line of scrimmage. He’s massive, ball skills. He’s the entire package. We played him a couple years ago and I don’t remember being around a guy that’s played as big of a difference maker as this guy is in so many different faculties. So, huge fan. Supposedly he’s a great young man, but wow, what a great football player.”
Prescott threw four TD passes and became the all-time franchise leader in the category on Sunday in a 37-20 home win over the Washington Commanders, as he rebounded from a Week 1 loss to the Giants. He rides into Rio de Janeiro on a high after the Cowboys showed off their own assortment of talent around him last week. Tight end Jake Ferguson caught two TD passes and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has three TDs in two games.
More balance can bring even better results, according to Schottenheimer. The Cowboys are averaging 67.5 rushing yards per game.
As Minter mixes things up to find the remedy for closing games, the Cowboys are working overtime to find the tonic for a defense ranked 29th in the NFL. Dallas has allowed six touchdowns and 391.5 yards per game entering Week 3. If cornerback Cobie Durant (hamstring) and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (hamstring) aren’t fully healthy, it could compound problems for first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
What Baltimore can do with the tandem of quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry rates as a top concern. The Cowboys are allowing 173.5 rushing yards per game and their win over the Commanders might have turned out differently had Washington not lost quarterback Jayden Daniels to injury on the final play of the first half. Daniels was carving up the Cowboys with his feet; he had 69 rushing yards in the half.
Henry is second in the league in rushing (212 yards) and Jackson is sixth in the NFL in total passing yards and is averaging a league-leading 10 yards per attempt. Jackson also has 74 yards rushing this season.
In two career games against the Cowboys, Jackson has posted 181 yards rushing, a rushing touchdown and 6.7 yards per carry. He also has completed 24 of 32 passes (75%) for 289 yards and three TDs to one interception.
“He’s really slippery. He’s nifty. Got great feet. And he’s strong, muscular. He’s hard to get on the ground,” Schottenheimer said. “I don’t think people talk enough about what a great passer he is, too.”
But Jackson said the Ravens are nowhere near their peak entering Week 3.
“We’re still working with our new system,” he said. “But yeah, eventually as the season goes on, it’s going to get back to that old me making things happen at the line of scrimmage.”