The Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens are preparing for a heavyweight fight this coming Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
Dallas (1-1) is looking for their first home win of the season after losing in embarrassing fashion at the hands of Derek Carr and the New Orleans Saints last week, and also look to improve to 2-1 on the season.
The Baltimore Ravens (0-2) come to town losers of their first two games, and are looking for their first win of the season to avoid falling to 0-3 to start the year.
A closer study of the two teams reveals matchups that will be key for the Cowboys to come out victorious when the clock strikes all zeroes on Sunday afternoon. Weapons on each side of the ball for both teams create some great matchups.
Cowboys Safeties vs Ravens Tight Ends
The Baltimore Ravens love to line up in their 12 personnel package (one running back, two tight end set) because it gives their offense an advantage that few other teams possess.
Baltimore fields two of the most athletic tight ends in the NFL. Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely create matchup problems for defenses because of their size and athleticism. They are too fast and shifty for most NFL linebackers to keep up with, yet they are too big in stature for safeties to cover effectively.
Andrews stands at 6’5″ tall and 250 pounds, while the younger Likely comes in at a nearly identical 6’4″ and 247 pounds. The two together put immense pressure on defenses in the passing game, but are also effective blockers in the run game.
The Cowboys’ safeties will be in coverage most of the day, so Donovan Wilson, Malik Hooker, Juanyeh Thomas, and Markquese Bell will need to be on their toes.
Baltimore’s tight end tandem has combined for 17 receptions on 22 targets for 202 yards and one touchdown reception thus far this season. Reigning them in, especially on 3rd downs, will be key to getting the Ravens’ offense off of the field.
Don’t be surprised to see LB DeMarvion Overshown get some coverage snaps versus either of them. Overshown was a converted safety in college at the University of Texas, and has coverage skills many NFL linebackers do not possess.
Terence Steele vs Odafe Oweh
The rookie on the Cowboys’ offensive line is LT Tyler Guyton, but my eyes have been on RT Terence Steele this season. Through two games, we have seen more clips of defenders getting past Steele and to QB Dak Prescott than any other offensive lineman.
Enter OLB Odafe Oweh, who will line up primarily against Steele this coming Sunday. Oweh is coming off of a 2.5 sack game against Gardner Minshew and the Raiders, and possesses a rare combination of power and speed on the edge that usually gives Steele problems.
When facing speed rushers, Steele tends to lean too far one way to compensate, and then isn’t fast enough to recover back to the inside. Other times, he is caught off balance and speed rushers who also use power (like Oweh) are able to switch to a bull rush and push Steele into Prescott’s lap.
Steele will need to tighten up on his fundamentals to keep Oweh in front of him and stay on balance.
Cowboys’ Edges vs Lamar Jackson’s Read Option
As if facing weapons like Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, and Derrick Henry aren’t enough, the Ravens bring another element to their offense that many teams do not possess.
QB Lamar Jackson might be the best athlete on the team, and he touches the ball on every play. The defense will need to account for Jackson on every play or risk seeing him blow by defenders straight into the endzone.
One of the Ravens’ go-to plays is the read option with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. Dallas’ edge players will have to remain disciplined to keep Jackson from escaping to the outside. The reigning MVP already has 167 yards rushing in two games this season, more than the Cowboys have as a team.
It will be up to Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Marshawn Kneeland, and whoever gets snaps on the edge to stay home and make the right reads throughout the game. If Jackson pulls the ball out of Henry’s gut and has a free lane to the outside, it will be a long day for the Cowboys’ defense.
Dak Prescott vs Roquan Smith
The final key matchup will be the Cowboys’ quarterback versus the Ravens’ quarterback of the defense. Dak Prescott versus Ravens LB Roquan Smith will be a chess match, and whoever wins more rounds will determine the outcome of the game.
Dak Prescott can’t control whether his defense can stop Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ offense. All he can control is if the Cowboys’ offense can keep up if the defense is not effective in doing so.
The Ravens have given up the most passing yards in the NFL through two weeks, but are stout against the run. Dallas has weapons in the passing game, but their rushing attack leaves much to be desired. It’s no secret what the Cowboys’ offensive game plan should be.
This game will fall solely on Dak Prescott’s shoulders, more specifically, his right arm and his ability to diagnose the defense to move the ball down the field. Weapons like wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks, along with TE Jake Ferguson give Prescott options to throw to.
It will be up to him to counter Roquan Smith’s adjustments with adjustments of his own to put the offense in the best position to be successful.