The Dallas Cowboys are set to play their first international regular-season game in Rio de Janeiro this Sunday, facing the Baltimore Ravens at the Maracanã in a matchup that carries far more weight than a typical international showcase. Both teams enter at 1-1, but the Cowboys’ defense has been the bigger concern over the past two weeks, ranking 29th in the league in total yards allowed per game at 391.5 and dead last at 30th against the run, giving up 173.5 rushing yards per contest.

These vulnerabilities line up almost perfectly with what the Ravens bring to Brazil. So far, Lamar Jackson ranks seventh in the NFL in total passing yards and leads the league with a 10.0 yards-per-attempt average, while also adding 74 rushing yards this season. Derrick Henry has been just as dangerous on the ground, sitting third in the NFL with 212 rushing yards and tied for the league lead with four rushing touchdowns. For a defense already bleeding yards on the ground, that combination of a dual-threat quarterback and a bruising, downhill running back represents about as difficult a matchup as the Cowboys could draw.

On 105.3 The Fan, Jerry Jones has talked up the trip to Brazil as a special occasion for the franchise, but he hasn’t hidden from the tougher reality underneath it: that his defense is heading into one of its toughest tests of the season with real vulnerabilities still unresolved, and facing the quarterback-running back pair would not be easy.

“I think that you see, I mean, with Washington, then you see what this quarterback in Baltimore gives us,” Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. “He’s the best at it, and he is certainly a threat and a big influence on our defense, but more importantly, the obvious is that when he does run, he’s hard to guard, and so, it’s a big part of our game plan to make sure our defense is ready for his talent.”

Living up to his reputation for not shying away, GM Jones accepted that this matchup looks bad. He said, “That’s a bad matchup. We got our work cut out for us. It’s a rough one. We’ll be ready for them, but they’re a handful.”

In Week 1, the Cowboys were seen struggling in front of Jaxson Dart’s signal-calling, which eventually cost them their season-starter game by 28-20 against the New York Giants. Dart completed 23-of-29 passes and threw for 230 yards while scoring three touchdowns, with no interceptions and two sacks. Dart also rushed for 54 yards with 11 carries against the Cowboys, exposing the voids in the Cowboys’ defense.

Even with their dominating win against the Washington Commanders by 37-20 in Week 2, their defense showed significant lapses. Jayden Daniels ripped off 69 yards on just seven carries in a single half. The Commanders converted 57.1% of their third downs (8-of-14), including a highly frustrating third-and-18 conversion in the first half.

However, multiple NFL pundits believe that with these defensive vulnerabilities, Lamar Jackson’s mobility becomes the problem. And by most accounts, he’s tougher to cover than either Dart or Daniels. Jackson may be the best quarterback in the league at extending plays with his legs, and the Cowboys have struggled with both elements needed to contain him. The Cowboys have generated pressure without finishing plays, racking up 31 pressures through two games but converting only one of them into a sack, according to Pro Football Focus.  

The Cowboys are surrendering the sixth-most rushing yards to running backs alone at 110.5 per game, with a 4.42 yards-per-carry average that ranks ninth-worst in the league.

Against Dallas specifically, Lamar Jackson has always thrived, per StatMuse. So far, he holds a 2-0 win record (2020 and 2024) against the Cowboys. He threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns, posted 181 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, and averaged 6.7 yards per carry across two career meetings with the Cowboys, while going 24-of-32 with just one interception.

Their struggles do not end here. After Lamar comes Derrick Henry, who poses an equal threat. Henry opened the season with a 144-yard, three-touchdown outing before cooling off in Week 2, but he’s still averaging 5.3 yards per carry with a league-high 70% rushing success rate.

Even after accepting the QB-RB pair as a threat, Jones remains positive about his D-line. He said the Cowboys have a plan to contain Jackson in the open field, and they are ready to exploit that one variable to use his mobility against him.