Ten things to watch in Ravens-Cowboys: Derrick Henry’s touches, defending CeeDee Lamb and more

When the Baltimore Ravens last played the Dallas Cowboys in December 2020, their offensive identity couldn't have been more clear. The Ravens bludgeoned the overmatched Cowboys with their run game, racking up 294 yards and two touchdowns on 37 rushing attempts in a 34-17 win. By then, the 2020 Ravens were well on their way to leading the NFL with 3,071 rushing yards and 555 rushing attempts.

There's little interest from the Ravens in returning to such a run-heavy offensive approach. Their current offense is searching for an identity of its own.

Baltimore leads the league through two weeks in total offense, averaging 417.5 yards per game. The Ravens are averaging the fourth-most passing yards (249.5) and sixth-most rushing yards (168.0). What they haven't done consistently is score, particularly late in games when points are needed.

"What do we want our identity to be? A team that executes at a high level, doesn't shoot itself in the foot with penalties and execution," offensive coordinator Todd Monken said Thursday. "Our guys will play physical. Our guys come to play every week. We have to do a great job as coaches of putting our players in the best position to be successful and then going on the field and executing at a high level.

"Irrespective of what personnel is out there, we want to be able to run it when we need to run it, throw it when we need to throw it, and we have the capability of doing that. Where we're headed is to find that. We're certainly more than capable of it. We've seen it. Now, we just have to put it all together, because we're moving the football. We have opportunities out there, but we have to collectively execute at a high level."

-2?

The Ravens are 0-2 for the first time since 2015 heading into Sunday's game against the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium, and an inconsistent offense is one of myriad reasons why. At times, like in the third quarter of Sunday's 26-23 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders , they've been effective running the ball. They've also had productive drives where they've relied on the passing game. Lamar Jackson has the fifth-most passing attempts in the NFL.

But as a whole, the Ravens have lacked a rhythm on offense and been unable to build momentum. They believe they're holding themselves back with penalties, blown assignments and poor execution. A struggling offensive line has been at the root of the problems. Jackson said Wednesday he believes the Ravens are on the cusp of a breakout.

Their opponent Sunday has issues of its own. In last week's 44-19 shellacking at the hands of the New Orleans Saints , the Cowboys defense allowed 432 yards and 7.7 yards per play. The Saints scored touchdowns on their first six drives. While the Cowboys defense searches for answers, the Ravens offense is looking for some semblance of consistency.

"You want to be known for something. What are you good at? What do they need to stop? What are they saying that they have to defend against you for your offense?" Ravens coach John Harbaugh said this week. "At the same time, you don't want them to line up and know what you're doing every single play. Both of those values are important. I don't think they contradict each other. I think those are things you have to find."

The search continues in Dallas.

During game weeks, we'll examine some of the storylines, matchups and questions the Ravens face heading into the contest. This week's first-and-10:

How important is it for the Ravens to win Sunday if they want to harbor realistic playoff hopes? Just six times in NFL history have teams started 0-3 and still made the postseason. None of those six teams have gone on to win the Super Bowl. The last team to turn an 0-3 start into a playoff appearance was the 2018 Houston Texans , and they lost in the wild-card round. The Ravens' season isn't over if they lose Sunday, but history shows how daunting their challenge would become. This is as close to a must-win game as you can have in Week 3 of an NFL season.

One of Harbaugh's strengths as a coach is his ability to guide his team through adversity and keep it focused on one game and not the big picture. This game comes at a time when negativity is building around the team. Harbaugh has been the subject of growing criticism and scrutiny, probably more than he's ever faced this early in a season. Decision-making on who to start on the offensive line has been a hot-button issue. So, too, has Harbaugh's game management and use of challenges. Harbaugh, who lost two timeouts last week with unsuccessful challenges, is 0-for-5 on challenges since the start of 2023 and 2-for-10 since 2022. The only person who can put Harbaugh on the hot seat is owner Steve Bisciotti, who has a strong relationship with his longtime head coach. However, a loss on Sunday, particularly if the Ravens continue a discouraging pattern of mistake-prone and inconsistent play, would turn the heat up further from an outsider's perspective.

Harbaugh alluded to potential changes this week along the offensive line. The Ravens have options. They could start rookie second-round pick Roger Rosengarten , who has been part of a right tackle rotation with veteran Patrick Mekari . They could yank struggling right guard Daniel Faalele and replace him with Mekari or Ben Cleveland . Veteran Josh Jones could enter the mix at either guard spot. They could even go to a guard rotation. Harbaugh and Monken insist they have seen improvement from the current group, but it's hard to imagine that Faalele, in particular, has a long leash.

-Ravens predictions and preview: Trying to slow Lamar Jackson and bounce back

Derrick Henry made no secret of his interest in signing with the Cowboys in free agency. He lives in Dallas in the offseason and has family and friends in the area. He knew the Cowboys were in the running back market after letting Tony Pollard depart. The Cowboys, however, didn't prioritize signing him. If Henry needs more motivation than that, he surely watched how the Saints' Alvin Kamara gouged Dallas' defense last week for 180 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns. It felt like the Ravens found something with Henry last Sunday when they started getting him outside and running to the left more. This feels like a game where he needs 20-25 touches.

Here's another factor in Henry's favor: the Cowboys' defensive interior has been a mess. Pro Football Focus has Dallas' Mazi Smith , Linval Joseph and Jordan Phillips among the lowest-graded defensive tackles in the NFL. Phillips is now on injured reserve, and Smith is dealing with a back injury. Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer spoke confidently about getting things fixed this week. Still, if Baltimore's guards are overwhelmed by the Dallas interior, it's an even bigger problem than it's currently being portrayed.

On Friday, the Ravens rewarded running back Justice Hill with a two-year, $6 million contract extension, the latest example of Hill's growing importance to the team. He has outsnapped Henry, 78-67, through two weeks. That's more a reflection of how often the Ravens have been in their two-minute offense or been in third-and-mediums or third-and-longs. Hill's ability in pass protection and as a receiver keeps him on the field in those situations. As much as the Ravens love Hill, they'd be OK with seeing a little less of him Sunday. That would mean the Ravens aren't often in third-and-longs, where Cowboys edge rushers Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence would have a chance to get upfield and make life difficult for Jackson. The Ravens badly need to win on first and second downs Sunday.

The Ravens struggled to contain Chris Jones in Week 1 and Maxx Crosby in Week 2. Now, they're facing Parsons, one of the league's most disruptive players. Zimmer has given Parsons the freedom to pick and choose his matchups, so there's a good chance all five Ravens offensive linemen will have to deal with him at some point. Parsons, who has 41 1/2 sacks and seven forced fumbles in 52 career games, even mentioned on his podcast this week that he could spy on Jackson. He's going to make his plays, but the Ravens need to find a way to prevent him from wrecking the game. Having him chase Jackson around the field, tackle Henry and honor the Baltimore run game would be a good attempt at tiring him out.

After letting Rashee Rice and Davante Adams eclipse the 100-yard mark, the Ravens' 32nd-ranked pass defense has another big challenge in defending the Dak Prescott- CeeDee Lamb connection. It'll be interesting to see how defensive coordinator Zach Orr matches up with Lamb after a week of criticism for not devoting enough resources to shutting down Adams. There was a lot of soul-searching with Baltimore's proud defense this week after it blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead against the Raiders. Players and coaches talked all week about how they're not meeting the team's defensive standard. The players had more meetings than usual to try to iron things out. The Prescott-led Cowboys will be a nice test.

Ravens kicker Justin Tucker is tired of discussing his issues on 50-plus yard field goals, but the topic was unavoidable this week. While Tucker has missed two 50-plus yard attempts this year and has made just one of his last seven from beyond 50, Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey had made all 13 of his attempts from 50 or more yards to start his career. Tucker is the most accurate kicker in NFL history, converting at an 89.9 percent clip. Aubrey does not qualify for the list because he doesn't have 100 attempts. However, he's made 44 of 46 field goals. Aubrey and return specialist KaVontae Turpin , who had a return score in Week 1, lead a very good Dallas special teams corps. The Ravens, who struggled on special teams last week, need a bounce-back performance.

The Ravens are a healthy team. Cornerback Nate Wiggins , who missed last Sunday's game after a midweek car accident , is the biggest question. But his increased participation level throughout the week bodes well. The Ravens figure to use a practice squad elevation on cornerback Ka'dar Hollman , who has been one of their busiest special-teamers. They have the option of using the second elevation on a No. 3 running back ( John Kelly or Chris Collier ). The game day inactive candidates remain largely the same: wide receiver Devontez Walker , offensive linemen Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu and Nick Samac , outside linebacker Adisa Isaac , and defensive backs T.J. Tampa and Beau Brade .

Cowboys 23, Ravens 20

The Ravens seem to understand the magnitude of this game after putting themselves in an 0-2 hole. Players said the right things about not panicking and focusing on going 1-0. According to those involved, this week's practices were sharp and lively. However, to win on the road against a quality opponent, you need to limit mistakes, contain the opposing team's top players and perform well in clutch moments. The Ravens have struggled in all three of those areas early this season. Until they show differently, it's going to be tough to trust them in these spots.

(Photo of Derrick Henry and Tyler Linderbaum: Rob Carr / )