The Ravens (0-2) will face the Dallas Cowboys (1-1) at 4:25 p.m. Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Here’s what you need to know about their Week 3 matchup.
TV: Fox, Chs. 45, 5 (Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi)
Stream: Fox Sports
Radio: WBAL (1090 AM, 101.5 FM), 98 Rock (97.9 FM) and SiriusXM Radio Chs. 160, 382 (Gerry Sandusky, Rod Woodson); WLZL El Zol (107.9 FM) (David Andrade, Allen Gutierrez)
Forecast: Low 90s, sunny, but the stadium’s retractable roof is typically closed.
Line: Ravens by 1 (as of Saturday evening) | Over-under: 47.5 points
Uniforms: The Ravens will wear purple jerseys with purple pants on the road for the first time.
History: The Ravens lead the all-time series 5-1, although they’ve met just twice in the past decade.
The big question: Can the Ravens avoid an 0-3 start? Since 1990, just four of the 162 teams that opened a season 0-3 reached the playoffs. It doesn’t get easier for the Ravens over the next two weeks, either. In Week 4, they host quarterback Josh Allen and the 2-0 Buffalo Bills for a “Sunday Night Football” matchup. In Week 5, they travel to Cincinnati to face quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals, who fell to 0-2 last weekend after a narrow loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0), meanwhile, have another winnable game Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Players to watch: Rookie right tackle Roger Rosengarten impressed in the Ravens’ Week 2 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, holding his own against star defensive end Maxx Crosby. The second-round pick could be in line for his first career start — or at least more snaps in his rotation with Patrick Mekari. “It was a major improvement from the week before,” coach John Harbaugh said Monday, “so let’s hope he keeps on that track.” The Cowboys have the edge rushers to test Rosengarten’s readiness. Micah Parsons is one of the NFL’s best, DeMarcus Lawrence has two sacks in two games, and Marshawn Kneeland is an athletic second-rounder.
The Ravens, meanwhile, will have to fix their leaky pass defense before wide receiver CeeDee Lamb tears it apart. Lamb had a career-high 1,749 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns last season as he earned first-team All-Pro honors, and he’s versatile enough to command targets from quarterback Dak Prescott as a slot or outside receiver. The Cleveland Browns’ talented secondary limited Lamb to five catches for 61 yards in Week 1, but he rebounded with four catches for 90 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys’ blowout Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The Ravens need bounce-back performances from cornerback Brandon Stephens and safeties Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams.
Injury report: The Ravens should be in good shape. They’ve ruled out just one player against Dallas, reserve offensive lineman Sala Aumavae-Laulu (personal). Wide receiver-returner Deonte Harty (calf) and outside linebacker David Ojabo (quadriceps) are questionable but participated fully in Friday’s practice. Cornerback Nate Wiggins (neck/concussion) was at “full speed” Friday, but Harbaugh indicated the first-round pick needed to clear the NFL’s concussion protocol.
The Cowboys will be without All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland (foot) and defensive end Sam Williams (knee), both of whom started the season on injured reserve. Just one projected starter, defensive tackle Mazi Smith (back), is questionable for Sunday’s game.
