A look at the keys to victory for the Baltimore Ravens to defeat the Dallas Cowboys.
The Baltimore Ravens are in Brazil as they prepare to take on the Dallas Cowboys. It is an important matchup for both teams, as they seek to improve to 2-1 in the season.
After the fourth-quarter collapse for the Ravens in Week 2, they will need to make sure they do not make the same mistakes against a Cowboys team that looked strong.
Here are the keys for the Ravens to take down the Cowboys.
Keep Getting the Ball to Derrick Henry
Baltimore offensive coordinator Declan Doyle joked that he understands clearly that running back Derrick Henry is on the team, as he was making sense of the deep shot on 3-and-1 that led to a costly turnover.
Henry is magic when he gets touches, and he needs to be involved as much as possible. Doyle's comments seem to point to some self-awareness that the run game was abandoned a bit against the Saints.
Henry managed 68 yards on 16 carries in Week 3, but he had 24 carries in Week 1. If nothing else, the back needs a chance to make something out of nothing, and Doyle needs to remember to get him the ball as much as possible.
Spread the Ball Around
With Zay Flowers presumably being ruled out for Week 3, the passing game will rely heavily on Rashod Bateman yet again.
Though Bateman showed out, he isn't the only receiver on the team. Chris Moore, Devontez Walker, and LaJohntay Wester are more than capable of making plays, but they need to be given the chance to do so.
Tight end Mark Andrews was also involved, but his drops are concerning. Matt Hibner and Josh Cuevas should be mixed in as well to give the Cowboys defense something more to worry about.
Protect Lamar Jackson
This goes without saying, but the Ravens' offensive line has got to do a better job of protecting Jackson.
Currently, he is the sixth-highest-pressure passer in the league, per Pro Football Focus, and the line is 30th in pass-block protection percentage. That is simply not good enough, and Jackson has been sacked five times in two games.
One of those sacks turned into a fumble for the Colts in Week 1.
Dallas has a solid defense that can exploit mistakes early. The Ravens' line cannot afford to allow Jackson to take unnecessary hits.
Mitigate Drive-Stalling Penalties
Head coach Jesse Minter harped on the offensive committing multiple penalties that erased drives and moved them back, but the defense also allowed the Saints to pick up yardage.
Simply put, the Ravens need to play far more disciplined ball against the Cowboys. Penalties may happen from time to time, but having more than a few per game can lead to issues with sustaining drives.
That was evident against the Saints, as Baltimore allowed 15 unanswered points, leading to a big loss.
