Ravens vs. Cowboys Prediction: Baltimore Wins Rio Shootout
Baltimore is the pick in Rio, 31 to 27. The Ravens have the more repeatable rushing advantage and the stronger early pass rush, but Dallas has the hottest quarterback in the matchup and enough receiving firepower to turn this into a fourth quarter game.
Saturday update: Nnamdi Madubuike is active and available to make his 2026 debut against Dallas—his first game since Week 2 of 2025. Baltimore may manage his snaps after the long recovery from a neck injury. Zay Flowers is active, while Ronnie Stanley is inactive. The official Ravens injury report and NFL.com's Madubuike update are the controlling sources; Football Nation's Week 3 injury tracker and Week 3 fantasy market pulse carry the lineup context.
The official NFL game center lists Ravens at Cowboys for Sunday, September 27 at 3:25 PM Central on CBS. The international game will be played at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Both clubs enter 1 and 1, which gives the trip real competitive weight rather than novelty alone.
Ravens vs. Cowboys at a glance
Metric through Week 2 | Ravens | Cowboys |
|---|---|---|
Record | 1 and 1 | 1 and 1 |
Points per game | 29.0 | 28.5 |
Yards per game | 409 | 288 |
Third down | 7 of 18, 38.9% | 15 of 22, 68.2% |
Time of possession per game | 31:17 | 25:55 |
Turnover differential | 0 | +1 |
Defensive sacks | 5 | 2 |
Source note: the comparison uses the Ravens' official team statistics, the Cowboys' official team statistics and the NFL game center as checked Friday morning using Thursday practice data. The official public team pages do not provide a stable season red zone attempts and touchdowns line, so Football Nation is not manufacturing a percentage. The available scoring profile is clear: Baltimore has seven offensive touchdowns, five rushing and two passing, while Dallas has seven, six passing and one rushing. Baltimore's final injury designations and any updated situational data are the next checkpoints.
Why Baltimore owns the cleaner offensive matchup
The strongest Ravens argument begins with the run game. Baltimore has gained 310 rushing yards through two games at 5.2 yards per carry. Derrick Henry accounts for 212 yards and four touchdowns on 40 attempts, while Lamar Jackson adds 74 yards on 11 carries. That combination forces Dallas to defend power, quarterback movement and play action with the same personnel group.
Dallas has allowed 347 rushing yards through two games, five yards per opponent carry. That is the largest structural mismatch in this game. The Cowboys can survive it only by winning early downs, keeping Jackson behind the sticks and preventing Henry from turning the second half into a sequence of manageable third downs.
Baltimore's 41 point opener showed the ceiling, but its 24 to 17 loss to New Orleans showed the danger. The Ravens produced only three second half points after leading 14 to 3, and Jackson's final interception ended the comeback. That late failure is why this is not a comfortable pick. Our Week 2 stock report stressed the difference between repeatable identity and one week noise; Baltimore must prove that its run and explosive pass profile can hold for four quarters.
Jackson has completed 38 of 56 passes for 559 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, with a 104.7 passer rating. His 10 yards per attempt is driven by explosive gains, including Zay Flowers' 54 yard reception in Week 1 and Chris Moore's 53 yard catch in Week 2. The Week 3 fantasy sleepers guide identified Rashod Bateman as a useful secondary play after his seven-catch, 88-yard game. Flowers’ active status prevents an automatic target upgrade, but Bateman remains a viable secondary option in a high-scoring matchup.
Dallas can answer through Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb
Dallas' total yardage is modest, but its passing efficiency is not. Prescott has completed 48 of 65 passes for 454 yards, six touchdowns and one interception. He threw four scores in the 37 to 20 win over Washington and moved past Tony Romo for the franchise career touchdown pass record. That is not empty volume. It is a quarterback seeing the field quickly and finishing drives.
CeeDee Lamb is the lever. He has 13 catches for 197 yards and three touchdowns, and Baltimore's secondary has already allowed two passing scores while producing one interception. If Dallas protects Prescott long enough to isolate Lamb away from safety help, the Cowboys can erase Baltimore's ball control advantage in two or three snaps.
The issue is protection and possession. Dallas has allowed two sacks, but its defense has generated only two. The Cowboys have averaged 25:55 of possession, 30th in the NFL entering the week, while Baltimore sits at 31:17. Our Week 3 fantasy market pulse favors evidence over highlight chasing; here the evidence says Dallas needs its passing efficiency to remain elite because the defense has not consistently shortened drives.
Dallas' roster choices also matter around the margins. The club's extensions for Brevyn Spann Ford and Ryan Flournoy protected two developing parts of the passing structure. The larger pass rush market also touched both teams during the offseason, as our Maxx Crosby trade report explained. Sunday will test whether each front can win without a blockbuster rescue.
Injuries: Dallas rules out four defenders; Ravens await Friday
Baltimore's Thursday injury report kept Zay Flowers and Ronnie Stanley out for a second consecutive day before Friday’s final report. The official Sunday inactive list now confirms Flowers is active and Stanley is inactive. Trey Hendrickson improved to limited participation, while Teddye Buchanan and Nnamdi Madubuike finished the week without game designations.
Dallas' official injury report has ruled out Cobie Durant, Malik Hooker, P.J. Locke and DeMarvion Overshown after all four missed Wednesday and Thursday practices. James Houston practiced fully both days. Those confirmed absences matter because Baltimore can stress the middle and edges of the defense on the same snap.
The sitewide Week 3 injury report remains the right companion for late changes. Flowers’ status is now resolved: he is active. Stanley’s absence is incorporated in the projection, as are Dallas’ confirmed defensive absences. Madubuike’s return improves Baltimore’s interior-pressure outlook, though a managed workload limits the size of that upgrade.
Fantasy football impact
Jackson and Henry remain every-week starters. Henry’s rushing volume and touchdown role are the strongest fantasy bet in the matchup, while Jackson’s floor benefits from the same run-defense weakness. Flowers is active and can remain in lineups; Mark Andrews retains a stable target route, and Bateman remains a secondary option rather than receiving an automatic injury-driven promotion.
Prescott has earned QB1 treatment after six touchdown passes in two games. Lamb is an automatic start, and Jake Ferguson's two early receiving touchdowns keep him in the tight end starter conversation. The Week 3 trade value guide is a useful reminder not to pay only for the previous box score; Prescott's efficiency is excellent, but Baltimore's possession advantage can limit total Dallas drives.
For broader context, Football Nation's Week 3 power rankings and the current injury and fantasy hub should be read together. Team strength sets the range, while final availability determines which players can actually occupy it.
Football Nation prediction
Prediction: Ravens 31, Cowboys 27. Baltimore's ability to create efficient offense on the ground is the tiebreaker. The Ravens should force Dallas to commit extra bodies to Henry and Jackson, opening selective shots to Andrews and Bateman. Prescott and Lamb will keep the game alive into the final possession, but Dallas' early run defense and thin secondary are larger concerns than Baltimore's Week 2 stumble.
The decisive sequence should arrive after halftime. If Baltimore sustains a long drive and turns Dallas into a pass only offense, its five sack pass rush can finally attack. If the Cowboys stay ahead of the chains and protect the ball, this becomes close to a coin flip. Football Nation's conclusion is firm but conditional: Baltimore has the clearer path, and Baltimore's final injury report is the last major reason to revisit the score.
Verified sources and next checkpoint
Kickoff, venue, records and comparison metrics come from the NFL game center and official team statistics. Week 2 context was checked against Reuters' Ravens report and Reuters' Cowboys report. The photograph's file page, creator and CC BY 4.0 license were verified at Wikimedia Commons. Baltimore's final designations were still pending as of 9:58 a.m. Central Friday; recheck them and any league update concerning the Rio venue before kickoff.
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