Cowboys news: Where each team might have advantages in the game

Dallas Cowboys Defense has a Foolish Flaw - Cody Warren, Inside the Star Where the Ravens could attack the Cowboys in their weak spot.

Dallas Cowboys Defensive Tackles

The defense has talent in every position except for the defensive tackle position. The only bright spot at that position is Osa Odighizuwa, who is having a slow start to the season. Osa Odighizuwa has been credited with five combined tackles, two solo tackles, three assists, one tackle for a loss, and two quarterback hits. Is he being used wrong, or is he unable to get going with no help at the other defensive tackle position?

Who's at the other defensive tackle positions? The Dallas Cowboys have a first-round bust in Mazi Smith, an over-the-hill run-stuffer in Linval Joseph, and Jordan Phillips, who does not seem to give any effort. These are not players that strike fear into an opposing offense's run game.

So far this season, these tackles have combined for three total tackles. Mazi Smith has no statistics, Jordan Phillips has one assisted tackle, and Linval Joseph has two total tackles. Now Jordan Phillips has been placed on injured reserve for a mystery wrist injury he says doesn't exist. This may be a move forced by Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer because of the complete lack of effort by the big tackle.

The defensive tackles leave a lot to be desired.

A Familiar Face

Jordan Phillips, who was moved to the injured reserve with a wrist injury, opens up a spot on the roster. The spot was quickly filled by signing defensive tackle Carlos Watkins from the Washington Commanders practice squad. Carlos Watkins spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and will return to the Big D with a new defensive coordinator.

In his two seasons in Dallas, he had 58 combined tackles, seven for a loss, two quarterback hits, and one sack. If Watkins can quickly get up to speed on the defensive play calling, he should be able to make more of an impact than the other defensive tackles, not named Osa Odighizuwa.

Dallas Cowboys could have one major advantage against the Ravens - Josh Sanchez, Sports Illustrated Where the Cowboys could have the Ravens right where they want them.

The Dallas Cowboys look to get back on track when they host the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3 of the 2024 NFL regular season. Dallas has plenty of questions to answer after the team's embarrassing performance a week ago, but there's one area they may be able to exploit in a big way. It is no secret that the Cowboys defense failed to show up against the New Orleans Saints , however, Micah Parsons and company have a huge opportunity at hand.

Dallas has one of the best defensive end duos in the NFL, and while they only recorded one sack in Week 2, the Baltimore Ravens present a great opportunity. Baltimore's offensive line has been heavily scrutinized over two weeks, and head coach John Harbaugh suggested the team could be making changes when they make the trip to AT&T Stadium in search of their first win of the season.

"We are a work in progress. It's still competition, [and] it's still up in the air for certain spots," Harbaugh said, per the Ravens' official website . "You probably will see some different guys in spots, so that's just part of it." If the Ravens make some changes along the line, it will impact the chemistry and cohesiveness of the unit.

Last week, Las Vegas Raiders tight end Maxx Crosby recorded two sacks and four tackles for a loss, including a criticial sack in the fourth quarter against right guard Daniel Faalele which thwarted the Ravens' attempt at a comeback on the final drive.

Although the Ravens are a tough matchup, here a few reasons to feel good about the Cowboys against them this week.

Bad passing defense

This might be an anomaly because the Ravens are usually good in most areas of their defense, but they currently have the worst passing defense in the NFL. First year defensive coordinator Zach Orr's unit is giving up 257 yards a game through the air and has allowed a completion percentage of over 75%. That's an awful lot of passes finding open targets through two games.

It doesn't help that Baltimore's defense faced Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, but Raiders' QB Gardner Minshew inflicted just as much damage on the secondary in Week 2. Minshew had his way throwing the ball late in the game and led two drives to win the game by going 7-9 for 70 yards and a touchdown.

The Ravens have only allowed two passing scores, but it's a defense that has struggled to slow down the passing game early in the season. It's up to QB Dak Prescott and Dallas' offense to continue that trend. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and company could be licking their chops to face off against the worst passing defense in the league.

Not much talent at wide receiver

While the running game for the Ravens is scary, their passing game isn't nearly as dangerous. QB Lamar Jackson has good arm strength, but his accuracy leaves much to be desired and he's got only one legitimate receiver.

Second-year WR Zay Flowers is the biggest threat in the passing game and he's the only Baltimore receiver with more than five catches through two games. Flowers leads the WR group in targets, receptions, and yards and no other option has over 100 yards receiving yet.

Cowboys vs Ravens: Buy/sell for Cowboys players in Week 3-Jess Haynie, Blogging the Boys Which Cowboys are primed to cash in or come up empty-handed on their opportunity against the Ravens.

QB Dak Prescott

Baltimore's 0-2 right now largely because they've been unable to slow down opponents' passing games, with a pass defense ranking near the bottom in several categories. Struggling against the Chiefs in Arrowhead was one thing, but last week the Ravens gave up nearly the same number in a home game against the Raiders. This points to a potentially big game for Prescott, who goes into it knowing that he can't count on the run game or his defense to get the job done. Getting TE Jake Ferguson back will only help open up the offense.

WR CeeDee Lamb

One reason that opposing passing games have done so well is that the Ravens have had no answer for number-one receivers. Rashee Rice hit them for 103 yards on seven catches in Week 1 and Davantae Adams had nine catches for 110 yards and a touchdown last Sunday. We'll take Lamb over either of them, especially after two weeks and more time for him and Prescott to find their groove again. Look for Lamb to have a big day against Baltimore.

Running Backs

If things weren't already bleak for Dallas' run game, Baltimore has yet to allow an opposing RB to average over 3.0 yards per carry. Isiah Pacheco only had 45 yards on 15 carries and then Zamir White had just nine rushes for 24 yards. Unless the Ravens overcompensate for their pass defense and open up the running lanes, it's hard to see how Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle will fare any better given what we've seen so far.