The Baltimore Ravens’ defense can’t look like that again. Week 2 spiraled into a disaster, as they bent and bent and bent until they shattered. Notably, the secondary had issues limiting back-breaking plays and doing their part to finish drives.
Coming off such a performance, the Ravens’ defense runs into the buzzsaw that is the Dallas Cowboys’ offense. Dak Prescott went for 279 passing yards and 4 touchdowns last week against the Washington Commanders, while Baltimore allowed Tyler Shough to throw for an efficient 252 yards and a touchdown.
That’s not exactly a great prologue to what could be the Ravens’ Week 3 story.
The secondary obviously needs to clean things up. If the unit is out of place again on Sunday, Dallas’ ultra-dangerous passing attack will not only take advantage; they could embarrass Baltimore.
Baltimore Ravens’ secondary must rebound in a big way vs. Cowboys
The Ravens have all the talent in the world in the secondary. And a few of them are producing at a high level out of the gate. Nate Wiggins, Marlon Humphrey, and Kyle Hamilton are hitting the right notes two weeks into the 2026 campaign.
The issues have mostly been with safeties Malaki Starks and Jaylinn Hawkins. Those were the two players who the Saints targeted time and time again, and it worked to perfection. Against the likes of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens this Sunday, that duo has to be at the top of their game.
It’s not just them, though. It’s the whole unit.
Things are obviously completely different with Baltimore’s coaching staff. No matter how talented the defense is, some guys are still clearly getting adjusted to the new systems. The Saints put that under a spotlight in Week 2.
At the top of the list of priorities: clean up the communication. In his press conference on Wednesday, Kyle Hamilton admitted the defense needs to communicate better and build more trust in their own abilities.
“It’s just little communication things we can do better as a team, and just playing confident,” Hamilton said. “You can communicate perfectly, but if you don’t execute the right way, communication doesn’t really matter. It’s all of that combined into one.”
Confidence is key. It sounds cliché, but it’s true. It’s especially true when you’re facing an offense with the killer instinct that Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and George Pickens possess. If they sense you’re off balance and unsure, they’re going to expose that.
In 2025, Prescott dominated defenses for 4,552 passing yards and 30 touchdowns. Pickens led a relentless receiver room with 93 receptions for 1,429 yards, and Lamb added 75 receptions and 1,077 yards.
It doesn’t get more dangerous than that.
More than likely, you’re not going to silence that group. With all the talent, though, the Ravens could certainly find ways to limit them. And it all starts with communication and wiping out any indecisiveness. If they can do that, there's a strong chance they can head back to the United States with a winning record.
Add us as a preferred source on Google