Ravens, Cowboys chase critical bounce-back win

Deflated by Week 2 losses, the Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens meet Sunday at Dallas where only one can come away with a bounce-back victory.

Baltimore fell to 0-2 for the first time since 2015 with a 26-23 setback to the visiting Las Vegas Raiders and nears desperate times as fall arrives. Even with a win in Dallas, the Ravens are on a tightrope. They have a primetime visit to Buffalo (2-0) on deck next Sunday followed by a grudge match with AFC North rival Cincinnati (0-2).

Dallas was blown out 44-19 by the New Orleans Saints, snapping a 16-game home winning streak in the regular season. The Cowboys allowed 190 yards rushing and a bigger challenge arrives in the Ravens, who are seventh in the NFL with 168 yards rushing per game with dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson and four-time Pro-Bowl rusher Derrick Henry teaming as a formidable 1-2 punch.

“We made some technique adjustments that we need to be better at,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said about the run defense this week. “We can’t get gapped, and we were gapped time and time again. That puts more pressure on your second-level defenders, obviously your linebackers and our primary support element. But yeah, we have to. It’s that first step, the discipline, playing the technique, and making sure the fit behind them is in order. We definitely were not clean and we weren’t consistent.”

There are sharks in the water ahead on Dallas’ schedule, too, with the Steelers (2-0), 49ers (1-1) and Lions (1-1) comprising the Cowboys’ slate in October.

The Ravens have three new starters on the offensive line and left tackle Ronnie Stanley isn’t at full strength. He was on the injury report Wednesday with an ankle injury.

Pass and run blocking were both a struggle over the past two games. The mobile Jackson has been sacked three times. Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons was held without a sack against the Saints, but he should create matchup problems against the Ravens.

Baltimore, which leads the regular-season series 5-1 against the Cowboys, needs to get the running game revved up to set up the pass. After a slow start, Henry finished with 84 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown.

Jackson has thrown for 520 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in two games. He will likely test the Dallas pass defense, which is ranked 16th in the NFL allowing 189.5 yards passing per game.

Jackson is agitated by his team’s early struggles and is determined to get the season on track.

“(We’ve) just got to find a way to win,” Jackson said. “I’m not used to being 0-2. (We’ve) just got to catch our momentum and get it started right away.”

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott agreed to a four-year, $240 million contract with a record $231 million guaranteed earlier this month. Prescott had an uneven performance over the past two games, throwing for 472 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. As a veteran, Prescott understands the pressure to win as the Cowboys quarterback.

“That’s one thing that I’ve grown to realize, especially in this organization when you’re playing on national TV every week. You are the Cowboys and the attention that we get is, if you lose, you’re down here,” Prescott said. “If we win, you’re way up there. None of that really matters. It’s about for us to trust the process, trusting one another, responding each and every day to get better. I know that we have the guys in there that can do that.”

The Ravens’ pass rush has seven sacks in two games. However, the secondary appears vulnerable to big plays. Dallas wide receiver CeeDee Lamb could be poised to have a huge game. In the season opener, Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice caught seven passes for 103 yards and often ran free in front of and behind Baltimore’s defense.

And Davante Adams finished with 110 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions last week.

Prescott likely will target Lamb and Jalen Tolbert early and often. However, Lamb landed on the injury report this week with an ankle issue and tight end Jake Ferguson (knee) didn’t play in Week 2. He was limited in Wednesday’s practice.

Ravens rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins missed the previous game and practice this week after he was involved in a car accident resulting in a concussion and neck injury.

One of the biggest challenges facing the Ravens is closing out games. Over the past five seasons, the Ravens have had 10 losses when leading by seven or more points in the fourth quarter — the most by any team.

Conversely, Prescott has led the Cowboys to 22 wins when they are tied or trailing in the fourth quarter or overtime since 2016 — second most in franchise history behind Tony Romo (24).

“Giving up a fourth-quarter lead is never OK — it’s not acceptable; it should never happen,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “You do it because you don’t play consistent football to get the stops that you need to get, and our guys know that — they’ll take accountability for it. Coaches will take accountability for it.

“When I say, ‘Us,’ I mean all of us — players and coaches together.”

–Field Level Media

Bucs seek to add to another strong start, take on Broncos

There are four undefeated teams in the NFC heading into Week 3 of the season and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stand out in the exclusive group.

Of the seven NFC playoff teams from last season, the Buccaneers are the only one to open 2-0 this season and will try to remain perfect when they play host to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

The Buccaneers earned a 20-16 road victory last weekend against the Detroit Lions, turning in just enough defense, and opportunistic offense behind quarterback Baker Mayfield, into a 2-0 record for the fourth consecutive season.

“We’re not out to prove everybody wrong, we’re out to prove ourselves right,” Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said. “We’re hungry, we’re trying to get to the playoffs and win the Super Bowl. The same people that are patting us on the back are the same people that were talking about us and expecting us to win none.”

The common denominator in those previous 2-0 starts is that none of them turned into a third consecutive victory, including a 25-11 home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles during Week 3 last season. The last time Tampa Bay went 3-0 was in 2005.

The Buccaneers exacted a measure of revenge with their win Sunday over the Lions, who eliminated Tampa Bay in last year’s NFC Divisional round of the playoffs.

“We know it’s a long season,” Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum said. “We went 2-0 last year and you all saw what happened. So the leadership on this team has been keeping us together and keeping us grinding, staying humble and focusing on the Broncos.”

Humility is key, especially since Tampa Bay has the 28th-ranked defense in total yards allowed at 381 per game. They have offset that by allowing 18.0 points per game, tied for sixth best in the league.

Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix will try to expose a Buccaneers defense that is 29th overall in passing defense with 242.5 yards allowed per game.

Denver (0-2) gave up just 13 points to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week on 117 passing yards, but scored on just a pair of fourth-quarter field goals from Will Lutz.

Nix had 246 yards passing last week but threw two interceptions and now has four in two games, with no touchdowns. One of those interceptions came in the end zone in the third quarter after Denver had advanced to the Pittsburgh 6-yard line.

The empty drive was otherwise one to remember, with Nix connecting on passes of 26 and 49 yards. Wide receiver Josh Reynolds caught the 49-yarder on a trick play and has nine receptions for 138 of Nix’s 384 total yards.

“(I’m) pleased with what he’s doing,” Nix said of Reynolds. “He played really well down the stretch. He (made) catches and (found) zones in the defense and got us some key conversions.”

Denver is 29th in total offense at 263 yards per game and is one of 10 teams averaging fewer than 100 yards rushing per game. The Buccaneers also are on that list.

The Broncos will lean into a defense that is ninth in the NFL with 277.5 yards allowed per game. After Denver plays at Tampa Bay, it will stay on the road and head to West Virginia to prepare for the New York Jets in Week 4.

“It’s not a make-or-break, but we’re going to have a better idea of where this team is going to be after these next two weeks going on the road,” Denver head coach Sean Payton said. “… Sometimes that can work as a positive relative to your team being together the whole time.”

Broncos right tackle Mike McGlinchey (knee) went on injured reserve Wednesday, while injuries have impacted the defense. Linebacker Baron Browning (foot), defensive end John Franklin-Myers (concussion) and safeties Brandon Jones (foot) and JL Skinner (ankle) all missed practice Wednesday.

Players not practicing for the Buccaneers on Wednesday: defensive lineman William Gholston (knee), tackle Luke Goedeke (concussion), defensive back Josh Hayes (ankle), defensive lineman Calijah Kancey (calf), nose tackle Vita Vea (knee) and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (foot).

–Field Level Media