FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys defense conceded 44 points and 432 total yards on offense to an upstart New Orleans Saints group in Week 2. This coming weekend, a potentially more lethal challenge awaits when the Baltimore Ravens visit AT&T Stadium Sunday afternoon.
Perhaps they face a different style, but the Ravens have a similar personnel with the capacity to punish this defense on the ground. Out of the backfield, that means the task of handling the beastly running back Derrick Henry.
However, the main objective in Week 3 will rest in dealing with quarterback Lamar Jackson. A developed passer, Jackson's greatest threat remains with his legs. Since claiming the starting job in Baltimore, he has proven one of the most elusive players to tackle in the NFL.
Seeing that challenge on film and approaching it in-game are two entirely separate challenges. Unlike most teams, the Cowboys have a player who can at least present a similar look for the defense in the build-up to this contest.
Dallas has deployed third-string quarterback Trey Lance as a scout for their defense, hoping to replicate the feel and identify they key objectives in stopping the defending Most Valuable Player.
"We feel really good about the look Trey can give us there as far as running those scout team reps," head coach Mike McCarthy said this week. "Cooper [Rush] will handle some of the other things too. Lamar's a dynamic, dynamic player."
Of course, Jackson also possesses the threat of catching a defense through the air, a problem that Rush will attend to in this week of preparation.
Few teams have such an advantage to incorporate a shifty piece like Lance in practice for a "dynamic" player like Jackson. Regardless, corralling the quarterback in open space has proven no easy task for the rest of the league or the opponents that see him every season.
For Dallas to avoid a similar outcome they saw against the Saints, their front seven has to make a presence at the line or in the backfield. Against Jackson, the mission continues beyond an immediate success.
Ultimately, Dallas cannot get shut down at the line again. If they spend another afternoon getting moved, turned and blocked, it will not matter if Jackson or Henry has the ball. Neither will be stopped.
