The Baltimore Ravens have headed down to Brazil for their Week 3 battle with the Dallas Cowboys. Despite all the field concerns, they’ll be playing football at Maracanã Stadium, and they have to put an underwhelming Week 2 behind them.
Dallas presents an interesting challenge for Baltimore. Their defense can be fish food more often than not, and the Ravens should have no issue exposing it. However, their offense has all the pieces to explode for a huge outing.
After Baltimore’s defense shut off late last week, they won’t just need to flip that switch back on—they’ll have to find the gas pedal. Taking care of this Cowboys team shouldn’t be easy.
Here are three keys for the Ravens to take care of business against the Cowboys on Sunday.
3 keys to the game that could lead to a Baltimore Ravens win in Week 3
Win in the trenches (both sides of the ball)
Every game starts in the trenches, and in this game in particular, it’s shaping up to be a contest where those battles will be crucial for the Ravens. If they want to win this game, the top order of business should be outdueling the Cowboys in the trenches on both offense and defense.
On offense, this should be a Derrick Henry game. Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle assured fans he didn’t forget Henry was on the roster, and Week 3 will be his opportunity to show he has big plans for Henry in 2026. It’s up to the guys up front, though.
Dallas might try to stack the box a lot in this one. They’re 18th in the NFL in run-stop win rate, so they might need extra men in the middle to limit Henry. Luckily, Baltimore has the best offensive front in terms of run-block win rate.
Things might get shaky with Carson Vinson expected to make his first career NFL start, but he’s most comfortable when he’s paving the way on the ground. And Doyle should focus on making their new starting left tackle comfortable.
On the defensive side of the ball, it’ll be about pressuring Dak Prescott. The Ravens’ secondary was a leaky faucet last week, getting burnt by Chris Olave and Juwan Johnson. Now, they have a much more dangerous beast staring them down with CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Jake Ferguson.
Let’s be honest: Nate Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey can hold their own, but the answer can’t simply lie on their shoulders. It’s the team’s pass rush more than anything.
If you pressure Prescott, you shouldn’t have to worry as much about Lamb and company. Trey Hendrickson, Mike Green, Nnamdi Madubuike, and Travis Jones must buy real estate in Dallas’ backfield. If they make that their home, they should have a great chance at coming out with the W.
Prevent the big plays
Speaking of the Cowboys’ lethal air attack, the Ravens can’t let them feast through the air too often. Lamb and Pickens are big plays waiting to happen—both are exceptional at the catch point, and Lamb has a knack for turning moderate gains into back-breakers.
Those two are too talented not to generate those plays. However, Baltimore has the guys in the secondary to limit them to some capacity. Kyle Hamilton is generational, Wiggins and Humphrey have had strong starts to the year, and Malaki Starks has potential.
To win the chess match against Dallas’ offense, Jesse Minter may need to bring some passive-aggressive looks to the table.
They’ll have to be aggressive with the pressure if they want to beat an elite pass protection group. However, he’ll need to dial up calculated coverages, too, keeping the deep halves heavily covered. Fire zone blitzes could be the answer.
Stay disciplined
What has been a common theme of Ravens football through two weeks? Penalties. It’s time to put an end to that.
Two weeks into the 2026 campaign, Baltimore has been tagged for 17 flags worth 120 yards. Specifically, it’s been the offense constantly putting the Lamborghini in reverse. It’s been an agonizing trait the team has brought to the table thus far.
The Ravens can’t continue to commit penalties at the rate they are against the Cowboys. If you keep shooting yourself in the foot like that, you’re going to pay. It happened in their Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints, and it would almost certainly happen against Dallas.
We already know how electric this Cowboys offense can be. They were second in the NFL in total yards last season, and much of the same pieces remain on the starting unit. If self-inflicted wounds build up against that team, you’re bound to find yourself playing catch-up.
If you had to pin it down to two words: play smart!
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