More Than Seventy Percent of Pundits Forecast Baltimore Victory
Ravens players and coaches made it clear this week that their journey to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to face the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday is a business trip, not a sight-seeing getaway.
The main order of business for Baltimore (1-1) is to get back on the winning track after last week's loss to the New Orleans Saints in the home opener.
To do so, they'll have to slow a potent Cowboys offense. Dallas (1-1) is coming off a 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders in Week 2.
More than seventy percent of the pundits we sampled (37 of 52) picked the Ravens, who are 3.5-point favorites, to prevail over "America's Team" in South America.
Here's what pundits are saying about the game:
The Ravens will bounce back from last week's meltdown.
The Baltimore Banner’s Giana Han: "I originally thought this would be a loss for the Ravens, but that was before they lost to the New Orleans Saints. Lessons on resiliency came early, and I think this coaching staff will teach them well. I believe Jesse Minter will have a plan to stop quarterback Dak Prescott and this pass-heavy offense. George Pickens will have his wins, but if this secondary can step up after last week's performance, it should be able to slow the Cowboys."
The Athletic’s J.J. Bailey: "The Ravens collapsed against the Saints, but much of that damage was self-inflicted, and I'm willing to bet Baltimore Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle will remember Derrick Henry exists in the second half of games from now on. Against a Cowboys unit allowing 0.28 Expected Points Added (EPA) per pass and 0.09 EPA per rush, Doyle can call just about anything and get away with it. The Ravens defense is middle of the pack, but the Giants already showed in Week 1 that if you keep the ball moving on offense, Dak Prescott and his buddies can't do any damage from the sideline."
Both teams have injury concerns.
The Baltimore Banner’s Childs Walker: "The Dallas defense is banged up and ripe to be attacked. But Zay Flowers' possible absence makes that a more difficult proposition for an offense that lost its explosiveness in the second half against the Saints."
The Ravens will win a high-scoring game.
USA Today’s Adam Kaufman: "This has shootout written all over it. Derrick Henry should find room against Dallas' front, while Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb will generate explosive plays against a Baltimore defense that hasn't looked settled. I trust Lamar Jackson slightly more in a close game, but neither defense inspires confidence. Give me the Ravens by a field goal."
It could be a big day for Jackson on the ground.
ESPN’s Todd Archer: "The Cowboys have not done well containing mobile QBs the first two weeks, with Jaxson Dart running for 54 yards and Jayden Daniels picking up 69 yards in one half before he was hurt. Now they get to see Lamar Jackson, who has 74 yards rushing and a touchdown this season."
Baltimore Beatdown’s Nikhil Mehta: "On Sunday in Brazil, the NFL's worst rushing defense against quarterbacks will go up against the most dangerous rushing quarterback in league history. Hammer, meet nail. Lamar Jackson has gashed the Cowboys on the ground before. In their previous two matchups, he has racked up 181 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries (6.7 yards per carry) – not to mention a 120.44 passer rating, 9.03 yards per attempt, and three more scores through the air."
How much of a factor will field conditions be?
Yahoo! Sports’ Frank Schwab: "The fear is the turf at Maracanã Stadium. There was enough concern that the NFL's field director commented on it this week to ESPN and said the league isn't concerned. That doesn't mean it will be a perfect surface or close to it. There has been a lot of rain in Rio de Janeiro over the past six weeks and soccer players have complained about the turf. For two fast offenses, that could be a big factor."
If field conditions are poor, it's to the Cowboy's advantage.
USA Today’s Nate Davis: "The field conditions at Maracanã Stadium could be a wild card, potentially more so for a player like Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, whose dual-threat danger is so reliant on his cutting ability. Could be a matchup with some unique X-factors in play."
The Ravens defense had trouble stopping the Saints on third down, and it won't get easier this week.
ESPN’s Jamison Hensley: "The Ravens' focus is to get the Cowboys offense off the field after Baltimore allowed the Saints to convert four third-and-longs on Sunday. It will be a major challenge against QB Dak Prescott and the Cowboys, who lead the NFL in third-down conversion percentage (68.2%)."
Getting pressure on Prescott is crucial.
The Baltimore Sun’s Sam Cohn: "According to NextGenStats, [Prescott is] the league's best quarterback with a clean pocket. Prescott has completed 87.8% of his passes and thrown all six of his touchdowns from a clean pocket — both figures lead the league. He'll face a defense with the fifth-highest pressure rate in football (43.8%)."
Here's what pundits predicted for Ravens-Cowboys:
ESPN: 6 of 11 panelists pick Cowboys / NA
Baltimore Banner: 4 of 5 panelists pick Ravens / "This game has the week's highest over-under, and for good reason. The Cowboys haven't faced a quarterback as capable as Lamar Jackson. The Ravens haven't faced a quarterback as capable as Dak Prescott. But the Ravens should be better prepared to stop Dallas' passing attack than the Cowboys are to stop the Ravens' run game, and on questionable field conditions, that matters." – Jonas Shaffer
USA Today: 5 of 6 panelists pick Ravens / NA
NFL.com: 3 of 5 panelists pick Ravens / ""As long as both teams actually have proper footing on the Brazilian turf, they should tear up and down the field. But it'll be Dak Prescott and Dallas with more points in the end. If the Ravens had trouble with Chris Olave down the stretch in Week 2, just think of the problems they'll encounter covering two Olaves in CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens in Week 3." — Jeremy Bergman
NFL Network: 6 of 8 panelists pick Ravens / NA
Sporting News: Ravens 31, Cowboys 27 / "The Ravens were relentless against the Colts but reined themselves in against the Saints as they still are finding the way in Jesse Minter's defense and the new offense for Lamar Jackson. Jackson was hurt by the wide receiver injuries, but Baltimore can go back to run-heavy basics with him and Derrick Henry vs. a transitional Dallas defense. The Cowboys will be game with Dak Prescott but will fall short in a shootout made to entertain the raucous Rio crowd."— Vinnie Iyer
CBS Sports: 6 of 7 panelists pick Ravens / "This is one of the games of the week, featuring Lamar Jackson vs. Dak Prescott. Baltimore suffered a bad home loss last week, but I think Jackson rebounds to lead the Ravens to a high-scoring victory. The Cowboys will also score with Prescott throwing it around as well. It's too bad this isn't on the fast track in Dallas. Even so, we will see many points." — Pete Prisco
Pro Football Talk: Ravens 34, Cowboys 30 / "A sloppy field could benefit the guys who know where they're going, to the detriment of those who are trying to keep up."— Mike Florio
Sports Illustrated: 6 of 8 panelists pick Ravens / NA
Are Ravens Already in a Must-Win Situation?
Is this a must-win game for the Ravens even though it's only Week 3?
"Not quite, but it's close," The Baltimore Sun’s Brian Wacker wrote. "A second straight loss to drop to 1-2 will raise uncomfortable, and probably unfair, questions about Minter's hire, especially if it comes amid another fourth-quarter collapse. It would also put the Ravens in a hole that would be challenging to dig out of.
"After the Cowboys, they return home to face the struggling Titans, which is a game Baltimore will be heavily favored in and should be even healthier for. Then things start to get tougher."
After the Titans game, the Ravens play a Sunday night contest at the Atlanta Falcons, who just routed the Green Bay Packers, 35-14, at Lambeau Field on Thursday night. From there the Ravens travel to Cleveland to take on former Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken's Browns.
Then, the Ravens have the Cincinnati Bengals, visit the Buffalo Bills, and host the Jacksonville Jaguars in a Thursday night game.
The Ravens were 1-2 in each of the past two seasons. In 2024, they ended up going 12-5 and winning the AFC North. Last year, they rallied from a 1-5 start to come within a field goal of winning the division.
