Desperate for a Win: How the Ravens Can Turn the Tide Against the Cowboys
In Week Three of the NFL season, the Baltimore Ravens will travel to the Lone Star State on Sunday afternoon to play the Dallas Cowboys. After losing a stunner against the Raiders at home last week despite holding a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Ravens find themselves in an unfamiliar situation as they have lost their first two games of the season. If the Ravens are unable to summon any consistency against a Cowboys team that is also trying to bounce back, they may wind up with a 0-3 record to begin the season. The Cowboys also suffered a surprise defeat at home, losing to the New Orleans Saints, an emerging team that has been quite impressive through the first two weeks. With both teams wanting to avoid another defeat, here are the keys to victory for the Ravens if they want to improve to 6-1 all-time versus the Cowboys.
Containing Micah Parsons
The Ravens will need to limit yet another elite edge rusher, this time Cowboys' Micah Parsons, if they are to defeat the Cowboys and succeed against a defense that is trying to bounce back from a devastating loss to the Saints. Last week against the Raiders, the Ravens' offense found it difficult to get going early and late in the game, due to Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby wreaking havoc on the offensive line, particularly against right guard Daniel Faalele. In the game, Crosby recorded two sacks on quarterback Lamar Jackson, six total tackles, and four tackles for loss. The Ravens will need to come up with a strategy to limit Parsons since it looks like head coach John Harbaugh will stay with starting guard Faalele rather than starting backup guard Ben Cleveland, who has shown to be a capable player at the position. This may entail chip blocking, as seen against the Raiders in Week Two, or having right tackle Roger Rosengarten assist as well. Should they succeed in doing so, the Ravens will position themselves to have a strong offensive performance throughout the game, handing the Cowboys their second straight loss at home.
Sticking to the Run
The ability of offensive coordinator Todd Monken to stay the course with the run and not give up when it is effective is another essential component of the Ravens' success. The Ravens' inability to establish the run game in the first half of their game against the Raiders was a result of both predictable play calling and subpar run blocking. The Ravens did, however, start to have some success in the second half, especially with offseason addition Derrick Henry, who, after seeing little action in Week One against the Chiefs, ran for 84 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Entering Week Three, the Ravens will take on a Cowboys' rush defense that faltered mightily against the Saints, allowing running back Alvin Kamara to amass 115 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries. An entertaining day at AT&T Stadium might await the Ravens if they can maintain Henry's involvement in the run game and apply pressure to the Cowboys' defense throughout all four quarters.
Cleaning up the Special Teams
The Ravens' typically excellent special teams unit has been a big contributing factor in both of the team's early-season losses. Since the start of last season, seven-time Pro Bowl kicker Justin Tucker has unexpectedly struggled at converting field goals from 50 yards and beyond, going just one for seven on those tries, with one being blocked. The Ravens had a significant edge in closely contested games because they were accustomed to depending on Tucker to make long-range field goals that most other teams wouldn't even dare try. In addition to Tucker's recent challenges, third-year punter Jordan Stout botched a punt late in the fourth quarter against the Raiders, traveling only 24 yards, setting up the Raiders near midfield, and setting up Las Vegas' game-winning field goal. It would not be shocking for the game to come down to the wire for Baltimore once again, especially with the Cowboys and Ravens coming into the contest this week with high levels of motivation. The Ravens' ability to prevail will be greatly influenced by their performance on special teams.
