Mapping a out a blueprint to success in this interconference showdown.
The Ravens will be traveling to the Lone Star state in Week 2 for a regular season interconference road matchup with the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon. They are still in search of their first victory after starting the year 0-2 for the first time since the 2015 season. While a win would still leave them at below .500 with an overall record of 1-2, it’d be a good start in their climb back into contention for the AFC North crown as defending champions.
Here are five keys integral to the Ravens’ coming out on top.
Limit impact of Micah Parsons by any means necessary
A huge contributing factor to the Ravens’ 0-2 start has been their inability to prevent elite pass rushers from wreaking havoc upon the right side of the revamped offensive line and guard Daniel Faalele, in particular, in high-leverage situations. If they let the Cowboys’ three-time Pro Bowler wreck shop in a similar fashion to how Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs and Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders did the past two weeks, notching their first win will be exceedingly more difficult. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken will need to dial up whatever he can to help his blocking unit neutralize or at least limit Parsons whether it includes sliding the protection, constant double teams, deploying extra blockers and using a heavy amount of motion to freeze and confuse him like the New Orleans Saints did last week. Whatever it takes, it needs to happen because he is the most athletic game-wrecker they will have faced thus far with more still to come on the horizon.
Keep CeeDee Lamb from going off
A fatal flaw for the Ravens on the other side of the ball has been struggling to stop the opposing team’s top pass catchers from making big plays and finding the end zone. Their vaunted secondary has allowed a 100-plus-yard receiver in each of the first two games with Rashee Rice and Davante Adams and nearly allowed a third in Week 2 with first-round rookie tight end Brock Bowers catching all nine of his targets for 98 receiving yards. Even though Lamb is dealing with an ankle injury that caused him to miss practice on Wednesday and be limited on Thursday, he was a full participant on Friday and was removed from the final injury report.
Hammer play-action and heavy personnel
These are major ways the Ravens can help out both their struggling offensive line and reigning MVP quarterback by making their jobs easier. Dialing up more play-action can take the pressure off of the line in pass protection, open up the middle of the field in the passing game because the linebackers are coming up to play the run fake and it gives Lamar Jackson more time to throw or take off with less defenders available to stop him from ripping off chunks of yardage. Deploying heavier personnel packages that include more snaps for four-time Pro Bowl fullback Partick Ricard, three tight end sets (13), two running back sets (pony), a mixture of the two (23) or even an extra offensive linemen can help keep Parsons at bay even better as well as improve their run blocking which has been inconsistent to start the season.
Feed Derrick Henry even more
The four-time Pro Bowler relocated to Dallas this offseason and will feel right at home in the second and third levels of the Cowboys’ porous run defense that let Alvin Kamara run roughshod to the tune of 115 yards and three scores on the ground. Henry saw an uptick in his usage from Week 1 to 2 with five more carries (18-13) and nearly doubled his production (84-46) while finding the end zone for a second straight game. If the Ravens run him even more, especially to the weak side/left of the offensive line and out of pistol and ‘i’ formations, he could be in store for a highly productive outing and perhaps the first 100-plus rushing-yard performance of his Ravens’ career.
Star players need step up and shine with impactful plays
The Ravens have a star-studded roster on both sides of the ball capable of making game-changing and potentially game-winning plays but thus far, Jackson has been the only one who has consistently been making them. For the team to get back on track and earn their first win of the season, they’ll need more than just stops on defense and first downs on offense.
They will need one or more of their All Pro defenders—safety Kyle Hamilton, cornerback Marlon Humphrey, linebacker Roquan Smith and defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike—to come up with a clutch play behind the line of scrimmage that derails a drive or come up with a turnover to give the offense the ball back. On offense, their two elite tight end tandem of Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely will need to show up big to take some of the pressure off of Jackson. The same goes for Henry and second-year wide receiver Zay Flowers if given the chance depending on play selection.