Cowboys' reeling defense faces tall order: Stopping No. 1-ranked Ravens offense
What an encore for the Dallas Cowboys. Here come Lamar Jackson and King Henry.
And desperate at that.
This twist of fate for one of the NFL’s showcase matchups in Week 3 (records aside, naturally) is probably just what a reeling defense can do without. The Cowboys were shredded last weekend by the New Orleans Saints for six touchdowns and 190 rushing yards. Now they’ve got to contend with the thunder-and-lightning combination that lays the tracks for the NFL’s No. 1-ranked offense with the Baltimore Ravens.
Jackson is only the NFL’s most dangerous quarterback runner, while Henry, who joined Baltimore as an offseason free agent, still has some stiff-arms left as the most bruising running back of this era. And Baltimore could have an extra edge as it tries to avoid its first 0-3 start since 2015.
Can the Cowboys deal with this?
“I think the mentality is to bounce back, stop this run and show people that you can stop the run,” Cowboys edge linebacker Micah Parsons told reporters. “I think it’s definitely a prove-it game when you get a game like this back-to-back.”
That tough talk carries no weight, at least not until further notice. The Cowboys looked to revamp the defense that was undressed in the playoff embarrassment against the Green Bay Packers last season, bringing back Mike Zimmer to push the buttons and try to recreate the magic he had in coordinating Dallas’ defense a couple of decades ago. But after an impressive road opening against an injury-thinned Cleveland Browns offense (six sacks, two takeaways), the home crowd saw a defense that looked way too familiar in Week 2 at AT&T Stadium.
Yep. Bad things tend to happen at JerryWorld for the Cowboys. At least lately. Dallas has been blown out in back-to-back home games, with the 44-19 loss against the Saints evoking the memory of the 48-32 collapse against the Packers in the first round of the NFC playoffs in January. That’s 92 points allowed at AT&T – one point shy of the most ever allowed in consecutive home games in franchise history.
Last week, the Saints manhandled Dallas in the trenches, which unleashed a flood of criticism and inspired a derisive moniker as “The Red Sea” defense. Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips and nose tackle Mazi Smith took significant heat, but virtually no one was spared. Not Parsons. Not DeMarcus Lawrence. Not Zimmer, whose substitution patterns (promising linebacker DeMarvion Overshown played just 18 snaps) invited much scrutiny.
Smith left practice on Wednesday with a back injury but is expected to play Sunday, which can be viewed either as good news or not, considering the first-round pick from 2023 didn’t log a tackle or sack in the first two games. Phillips went on injured reserve with a wrist injury, which is why the Cowboys’ signing of Carlos Watkins off Washington’s practice squad was seen as significant.
The Ravens, meanwhile, used Henry for a bigger role last week (18 rushes, 84 yards) against the Raiders than in Week 1 at Kansas City, when Jackson rushed for 122 yards. That illustrates part of the challenge for Dallas as the Ravens bring a versatile offense that strikes in multiple ways with different weapons.
“Obviously, presents a challenge, but ... this is the NFL,” Eric Kendricks, who led Dallas with eight tackles against the Saints, told reporters this week.
Kendricks signed as an offseason free agent to reunite with Zimmer, his former coach with the Vikings.
“Every week’s going to be a challenge,” he added. “We get to play accordingly. We get to do our job and we’re going to play whatever we get.”
The Cowboys will certainly get the tests to indicate whether their defense can measure up with contenders. The Ravens, who had the NFL’s top-ranked running game in 2023, are the first of three opponents over the next five weeks that fielded a top-five rushing attack last season. And before Dallas faces Detroit (5th) and San Francisco (3rd) in Weeks 6 and 8, they will also have to contend with a Steelers offense that has doubled down on its running game under new coordinator Arthur Smith.
In other words, unless the Cowboys prove they can stop the run, there will be a tried-and-true blueprint to increase the misery.
Drake London’s tone-deaf demonstration
The celebration by Atlanta Falcons receiver Drake London after his 7-yard touchdown reception with 34 seconds left on Monday night in Philadelphia was rather boneheaded on two levels, as he pretended to fire off a machine gun pointed at the stands. Of course, it drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that forced Younghoe Koo to kick an extra-long, 48-yard PAT for the deciding point in the 22-21 comeback win.
“It’s a trend going around football to do that type of celebration,” London maintained to reporters this week.
Really? That’s surely not an NFL trend. The NFL has banned such end zone antics for years, which includes throat-slash gestures and showboating with sexual connotations.
That London hadn’t made his way to the end zone in 13 games before Monday night is no excuse. Rare or not, he should act like he’s been there before. And as a pro in his third NFL season, he should know the rules and consequences that can put his team in a tight spot.
But that wasn’t the only reason London apologized to his team and then publicly. The celebration on national TV was probably so offensive to anyone who has been victimized by a mass shooting – and was especially insensitive considering the recent school shooting at Apalachee High in Winder, Georgia, where two students and two teachers, including an assistant football coach, were murdered.
Days before the Falcons traveled to Philadelphia, they hosted the Apalachee football team at practice. Before their Week 1 game against the Steelers, many Falcons players wore Apalachee Football T-shirts during pregame warmups. And none of that resonated enough with London to deter him from that celebration. Apparently, he gets it now.
“There’s a lot of stuff going around in the world with gun violence that I don’t think I should have displayed there,” London said. “So I’m not too happy with it, and probably won’t see that again from me.”
Lesson learned. Good. Not so good that London thought it was cool in the first place to mimic an act of violence that hardly needs to be normalized in our society.
Intense NFL education for Joe Alt
The battle of unbeatens in Pittsburgh on Sunday features an inviting matchup that pits Chargers rookie right tackle Joe Alt against Steelers All-Pro edge linebacker T.J. Watt.
Alt, drafted fifth overall from Notre Dame, has impressed to the point that L.A. coordinator Greg Roman dared to mention Ravens Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden when considering his package.
“The potential is limitless,” Roman told reporters. “I was with Jonathan Ogden many years ago, and he has a chance to touch that stratosphere. But that’s a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of knowledge and a lot of experience away.”
We’ll see. In the meantime, the tests keep coming. In his debut, Alt matched against Raiders star Maxx Crosby (one sack, three QB hits, one tackle for loss). Now comes a player closing in on a milestone 100th career sack (98 ½).
Noted Roman: “Crosby Week 1, now you’ve got T.J. Watt. Merry Christmas.”
Quick slants
Seven players across the league opted to use Guardian Caps in Week 2, an uptick from the six in Week 1, as the NFL has allowed players to use the foam protective covering over their helmets during regular-season games this season for the first time. The G-Caps, introduced in preseason practices in 2021 with usage gradually increased since, are designed to reduce the impact from collisions.
According to league data, there was an approximate 50-percent reduction in concussions diagnosed in cases from games and practices over the past two preseasons. It’ll be interesting to see whether more players opt for the extra protection, regardless of the lost style points with the aesthetics.
∎ What a start for Klint Kubiak as the new offensive coordinator in The Big Easy. The Saints have averaged an NFL-best 45.5 points per game, bolstered by revivals from Derek Carr (NFL-best 142.4 passer rating) and Alvin Kamara (NFL-best 290 yards from scrimmage). And here’s a staggering stat that really defines the roll: During the first three quarters in its back-to-back routs, New Orleans converted on 82.4% of its third downs.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cowboys' reeling defense faces tall order: No. 1-ranked Ravens offense
