Ravens vs. Cowboys Critical Matchups: Micah Parsons is public enemy No. 1

This interconference clash features key battles between specific players, units, and coaches.

The Baltimore Ravens will be back on the road in Week 3 where they will take on their NFC opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, for an interconference clash between two teams looking to bounce back from disappointing losses. For the second straight week, the Ravens are the favored to win but are only ‘minor road favorites’ to come out on top in this Sunday afternoon matchup at AT&T Stadium.

This game feels like a must-win for both teams who entered this season with high expectations but have struggled out of the gate.

However, games aren’t won on paper or decided by betting odds. There are some pivotal matchups between individual players, units, and coaches that will go a long way in determining the outcome of this contest.

Below are a handful of those key battles that could be deciding factors in Week 3.

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Right side of Ravens o-line v. Micah Parsons

For the third week in a row to open the regular season, one-half of Baltimore’s revamped blocking unit will have its handful with an elite pass rusher and Parsons is the most explosive and athletic they’ve faced thus far. The three-time Pro Bowler and two-time First Team All Pro has just one sack through two games after being held at bay last week in a loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Parsons will be licking his chops on Sunday if the Ravens trot out the same starting combination on the right side of third-year pro Daniel Faalele and veteran Patrick Mekari. The underwhelming and underperforming tandem has played a large part in the offense’s struggles regarding consistency in the rushing and passing attack.

After letting Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones and Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby wreck shop with game-changing in back-to-back weeks, the Ravens will need to prove they can stop an elite to upper-echelon pass rusher from almost single-handedly derail drives with negative plays. If the Ravens decide to finally give fourth-year pro Ben Cleveland a shot at right guard and let second-round rookie Roger Rosengarten take more or even the bulk of reps in the right tackle rotation, they just might be able to solve their woes in the offensive trenches.

RB Derrick Henry v. Cowboys run defense

The Ravens were finally able to get their non-quarterback-centric rushing attack going last week against the Raiders with their four-time Pro Bowl featured back rushing for 84 yards on 18 carries. Against a Dallas front that got steamrolled for nearly 200 yards and gave up four touchdowns on the ground, Henry is poised to have a huge game if fed the ball consistently throughout the game.

If a resurgent Alvin Kamara can rack up 115 yards, score three touchdowns and average over five yards per carry, there is no reason that the two-time league rushing champion who hasn’t shown any real signs of decline shouldn’t feast between or off tackle in this game. Henry has to carry or touch the ball at least 20 times in this game and if he doesn’t, it will be an absolute travesty because he was brought in to grind defenses like the Cowboys’ into dust and close out big games on the road as well as at home.

Ravens CBs v. WR CeeDee Lamb

After allowing opposing teams to have at least one receiver reach 100-plus receiving yards in each of the first two games, keeping the Cowboys’ three-time Pro Bowler from being the third in a row will be the top priority for Baltimore’s top corner trio. Lamb is currently dealing with an ankle injury that kept him out of practice entirely on Wednesday and caused him to be just a limited participant on Thursday but even hampered, he is still strong and explosive enough to make plays.

Heading into the season, the Ravens’ secondary was expected to be one of the best units in the league spearheaded by their impressive cornerback depth that includes three-time Pro Bowler Marlon Humphrey, 2023 breakout Brandon Stephens and first-round rookie Nate Wiggins. However, they’ve been one of the main culprits in the team’s inability to finish games and limit opposing passing attacks in the second half thus far. If Wiggins returns to the lineup after missing last week’s game with a concussion, he could be a difference-making factor in this matchup and moving forward.

Last week, they allowed Davante Adams to pick up one big chunk after another as the Raiders threw their way out of a double-digit deficit. If the Ravens get up on the Cowboys in this game, the corners can’t allow history to repeat itself. They also need to force more incompletions by contesting and dislodging the ball from its intended receiver more often after letting Gardner Minshew go 30-of-38 in Week 2 and Patrick Mahomes go 20-of-28 in the season opener.

WR Zay Flowers v. CB Trevon Diggs

On the other side for both teams, the Ravens’ leading receiver will likely be a matchup with the Cowboys’ two-time Pro Bowler whenever he lines up on the outside. Flowers is coming off his most productive game of the season thus far in which he hauled in seven of his 11 targets for 91 receiving yards and a touchdown. Diggs is one of the best ballhawks in the league whose instincts and ball skills are elite and through two games he has only allowed five completions on 12 targets for 58 yards and a completion percentage of 41.7% with one interception and no touchdowns given up.

As a former college receiver, it’ll be interesting to see if Diggs can consistently stick with Flowers in one-on-one coverage given that he is dealing with a foot injury that caused him to miss Wednesday’s practice and be a limited participant on Thursday. Through the first two games, the 2023 first-rounder’s 4.4 average yards of separation among wide receivers with a minimum of 10 targets ranks first in the league according to Next Gen Stats and some of Diggs’ worst performances have come against wideouts who are either elite separators and elusive in space.

Ravens pass rush v. Cowboys o-line

The best and most consistent unit on either side of the ball for Baltimore through their first two games has been their defensive front. As dominant as they have been when it comes to stopping the run with league lows of 99 total yards and just 2.7 yards per attempt allowed, their ability to generate consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks has been just as impressive.

The Ravens are tied for the third-most sacks (7) in the league, have the sixth-highest quarterback pressure percentage (30.1%) entering Week 3 and are coming off a five-sack and 10-quarterback-hit game in Week 2. They might have the most disruptive interior defensive line tandem in the league with 2023 Pro Bowler Nnamdi Madubuike and third-year pro Travis Jones who is on his way to having a breakout of his own. Out on the edge, fourth-year pro Odafe Oweh is fresh off a 2.5 sack breakout performance, veteran Kyle Van Noy recorded a pair of sacks despite dealing with a fractured orbital bone and third-year pro David Ojabo has been a potent factor as well with a sack, a quarterback hit and three pressures in two games.

On Sunday, they’ll be going up against a Dallas offensive line that features a pair of Pro Bowl guards in future Hall of Famer Zack Martin on the right and Tyler Smith on the left but it also has two rookie starters in first-round left tackle Tyler Guyton and third-round center Cooper Beebe. The unit has allowed Cowboys’ franchise quarterback Dak Prescott to get sacked three times in each of their first two games and the Ravens are more than capable of keeping that streak going and then some.