What a reminder for the Dallas Cowboys. Here comes Lamar Jackson And King Henry.
And desperate too.
This stroke of fate for one of the NFL’s marquee games of week 3 (aside from the records, of course) is probably exactly what a struggling defense can do without. The Cowboys were shredded last weekend by the New Orleans Saints for six touchdowns and 190 rushing yards. Now they must deal with the thunder and lightning combination that paves the way for the NFL’s No. 1-ranked offense with the Baltimore Ravens.
Jackson is just the NFL’s most dangerous quarterback, while Henry, who joined Baltimore as a free agent in the offseason, still has some stiff arms as the most aggressive running back of this era. And Baltimore could have an added advantage as it tries to avoid its first 0-3 start since 2015.
Can the Cowboys handle this?
“I think the mentality is to bounce back, stop that run and show people you can stop the run,” the Cowboys linebacker said. Micah Parsons “I think it’s really a game that proves that when you get two games like this in a row, that’s what it is,” the player said.
Those tough words hold no weight, at least not until further notice. The Cowboys sought to revamp the defense that was stripped naked in last season’s playoff embarrassment against the Green Bay Packers, bringing back Mike Zimmer to push buttons and try to recreate the magic he had coordinating Dallas’ defense decades ago. But after an impressive road opener against a Dallas team, the Cowboys decided to bring in Mike Zimmer to play a starring role. Cleveland Browns offense weakened by injuries (six sacks, two takeaways), the home crowd saw a defense that looked all too familiar in Week 2 at AT&T Stadium.
Yeah. The Cowboys tend to have trouble at JerryWorld. At least lately. Dallas has been crushed in back-to-back home games, with the 44-19 loss to the Saints evoking memories of the 48-32 collapse to the Packers in the first round of the NFC playoffs in January. That’s 92 points allowed at AT&T, one point shy of the most points allowed in back-to-back home games in franchise history.
Last week, the Saints manhandled Dallas in the trenches, prompting a flood of criticism and the mocking nickname “The Red Sea” defense. Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips and nose tackle Mazi Smith were roundly criticized, but virtually no one was spared. Not Parsons. Not DeMarcus Lawrence. Not Zimmer, whose replacement schemes (promising linebacker DeMarvion Overshown played just 18 snaps) drew scrutiny.
Smith left practice Wednesday with a back injury but is expected to play Sunday, which may or may not be good news considering the 2023 first-round pick hasn’t recorded a tackle or sack in the first two games. Phillips was placed on injured reserve with a wrist injury, which is why the Cowboys’ signing of Carlos Watkins off Washington’s practice squad was considered significant.
The Ravens, meanwhile, used Henry in a bigger role last week (18 carries, 84 yards) against the Raiders than he did in Week 1 at Kansas City, when Jackson ran for 122 yards. That illustrates part of the challenge for Dallas, as the Ravens bring a versatile offense that hits in multiple ways with different weapons.
“Obviously it’s a challenge, but … it’s the NFL,” Eric Kendricks, who led Dallas with eight tackles against the Saints, told reporters this week.
Kendricks signed as a free agent in the offseason to reunite with Zimmer, his former coach with the Vikings.
“Every week is going to be a challenge,” he added. “We’re going to play accordingly. We’re going to do our job and we’re going to play everything we have.”
The Cowboys will certainly be tested to see if their defense can measure up to the contenders. The Ravens, who had the NFL’s top-ranked running game in 2023, are the first of three opponents in the next five weeks to have a top-five rushing attack last season. And before Dallas faces No. 5 Detroit and No. 3 San Francisco in Weeks 6 and 8, they’ll also have to deal with a Steelers offense that has stepped up its running game under new coordinator Arthur Smith.
In other words, unless the Cowboys prove they can stop the run, there will be a proven plan to increase the misery.
Drake London’s Deaf Demonstration
Atlanta Falcons receiver Drake London’s celebration after his 7-yard touchdown reception with 34 seconds left Monday night in Philadelphia was pretty stupid on two levels, as he pretended to fire a machine gun pointed at the stands. Of course, it earned a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that forced Younghoe Koo to kick an extra-long 48-yard PAT for the deciding score in the 22-21 victory.
“It’s a trend in football to do this kind of celebration,” London told reporters this week.
Really? This is certainly not an NFL trend. The NFL has banned these types of end zone behaviors, which include throat-slitting gestures and sexually charged displays of bragging, for years.
The fact that London hadn’t reached the end zone in 13 games before Monday night is no excuse. Rare or not, he should act like he’s been there before. And as a professional in his third NFL season, he should know the rules and consequences that can put his team in a difficult situation.
But that’s not the only reason London apologized to his team, and then publicly. The nationally televised celebration was likely highly offensive to anyone who’s been the victim of a mass shooting — and was especially insensitive given the recent Shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, where two students and two teachers, including an assistant football coach, were murdered.
A few days before their trip to Philadelphia, the Falcons hosted the Apalachee football team for practice. Before their Week 1 game against the Steelers, many of the Falcons players wore Apalachee football T-shirts during pregame warmups. And none of it resonated with London enough to dissuade him from celebrating. Apparently, he gets it now.
“There’s a lot of stuff going around in the world about gun violence that I don’t think I should have put out there,” London said. “So I’m not very happy about that and I’ll probably never see that from myself again.”
Lesson learned. Good. But not so good that London thought it was cool to imitate an act of violence that doesn’t need to be normalized in our society.
Joe Alt Gets Intensive NFL Training
The Battle of the Undefeated in Pittsburgh on Sunday features an engaging matchup that pits Chargers rookie right tackle Joe Alt against Steelers All-Pro linebacker TJ Watt.
Alt, the fifth overall pick out of Notre Dame, impressed to the point that LA coordinator Greg Roman dared to mention Ravens Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden when considering his package.
“The potential is limitless,” Roman told reporters. “I was with Jonathan Ogden many years ago, and he has a chance to reach that stratosphere. But it takes a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of knowledge and a lot of experience.”
We’ll see. In the meantime, the tests continue to come. In his debut, Alt faced Raiders star Maxx Crosby (one sack, three QB hits, one tackle for loss). He’s now a player who is closing in on his 100th career sack (98 ½).
Roman noted: “Crosby, week 1, now you have TJ Watt. Merry Christmas.”
Fast tilts
Seven players across the league opted to wear the Guardian Caps in Week 2, up from six in Week 1, as the NFL allowed players to use the foam protection on their helmets during regular-season games this season for the first time. The G-Caps, introduced during preseason practices in 2021 and gradually increasing in use since then, are designed to reduce the impact of collisions.
According to league data, there has been a roughly 50% reduction in concussions diagnosed in games and practices over the past two preseasons. It will be interesting to see if more players opt for this extra protection, regardless of the style points lost due to aesthetics.
∎ What a start for Klint Kubiak as the new offensive coordinator in The Big Easy. The Saints averaged an NFL-best 45.5 points per game, bolstered by the returns of Derek Carr (NFL-best 142.4 passer rating) and Alvin Kamara (NFL-best 290 yards from scrimmage). And here’s a staggering stat that really defines the role: In the first three quarters of its back-to-back wins, New Orleans converted 82.4 percent of its third downs.
This article was originally published on USA TODAY: Cowboys’ faltering defense faces tough task: Ravens’ No. 1-ranked offense
