The Dallas Cowboys are about to step way out of their comfort zone this weekend. For the first time in a decade, they’re going to play an international game. But as “America’s Team” prepares to take center stage at the Maracanã, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson isn’t interested in letting the Cowboys’ famous label dictate what happens on the field.
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After a Week 2 loss against the Saints, Jackson is fired up for the game. He even sent a cheeky warning to Dak Prescott’s side ahead of the game.
“This is America, that’s Brazil, so we’ll see. But yeah, I’ve seen their pass rushers are unbelievable to get after the quarterback a lot, disrupt the pass game a lot, but it’s football at the end of the day. We’re just gonna have to get out there and do what we’re supposed to do,” Jackson told reporters on Wednesday.
Jackson’s remark immediately puts the spotlight on the Cowboys’ long-standing America’s Team moniker. Dallas will be the designated home team at Maracanã, but Jackson seems to believe the international setting changes the equation.
And as a dual-threat quarterback, we can see why. In the last two games, the Cowboys have struggled against QBs who scrambled, giving up over 100 yards combined to Jaxson Dart and Jayden Daniels. Last weekend, before Daniels went out with the injury, he rushed for as much as 20 yards on a single carry.
Even though Jackson hasn’t run a lot (74 yards on 11 carries with a touchdown), his dual-threat ability is going to be dangerous. That’s not even considering Derrick Henry, who already has over 200 rushing yards this season.
More importantly, Jackson doesn’t seem to be worried about the Maracanã’s condition. “I cannot worry about that. I just have to worry about getting us a dub in Brazil. [As for] the field, we have played on bad fields plenty of times, so I cannot really dwell on that.”
Dallas has clear problems. Their run defense has struggled all season, be it against Skattebo or quarterbacks. But if you add their secondary problems to the mix, the Ravens start to look like a dangerous side.
Perhaps that’s why the Cowboys’ revamped defense has already acknowledged the challenge presented by the two-time MVP, given his ability to cover the field through the air and on the ground.
Head coach Schottenheimer acknowledged that risk when said, “We’ve gotten to the point where if you move him off the spot, sometimes they become more dangerous, which is why we have to be better at containing. He’s looking at the film. He’s seeing the seams that we’ve created and given to Jaxson Dart and Jayden Daniels, and he’s going to be aware of that. But this is a new week. It’s a different deal. We’ve got some different things that we’re looking at that we kind of like going into this game.”
But that’s not all. Pass rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku even described Jackson as the QB capable of throwing and running at a very high level.
“We all know what it is,” Ezeiruaku said, per the Cowboys staff writer Tommy Yarrish. “You guys know. We know as players the type of guy he is. Somebody who can throw the ball, but also run the ball at a very high level. It’s easier to say than to do, but our job is to go out there and go do. That’s what we’re tasked with.”
The QB is 2-0 against Dallas in his career, throwing for 182 yards and two total TDs in the 28-25 win against the Cowboys in 2024.
Jackson has entered Week 3 leading the NFL with 10.0 passing yards per attempt. Yet Jackson’s response suggests he is not overthinking the Cowboys’ reputation or their defensive front. According to him, the brand and pregame narratives all take a back seat once the ball is snapped.
The Ravens are also looking to respond after suffering a Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints with their first overseas game since beating the Tennessee Titans in London in October 2023.
Meanwhile, after a glorious 37-20 win against the Washington Commanders, the Cowboys have the opportunity to play in the league’s first-ever game in Rio de Janeiro.
However, according to Jackson, there is no need to crown a team before kickoff on Sunday. If he plays the way he did in his last meeting in Dallas, he may win some of them over.