Ravens defense braces for Dak Prescott, Cowboys in Week 3

After a shaky fourth quarter against New Orleans, Baltimore's defense heads into its matchup with Dallas needing sharper third-down play and coverage communication.

The Baltimore Ravens get a stiffer challenge at quarterback in Week 3, when Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys come calling. Prescott tossed four touchdown passes in a 37-20 Dallas win over Washington, connecting early and often with wideout CeeDee Lamb, while tight end Jake Ferguson hauled in a pair of scoring grabs.

Baltimore is coming off a rough closing period in which rookie Tyler Shough led New Orleans back, hitting 27 of 34 throws for 252 yards. The Saints also moved the chains on 8 of 15 third downs and converted both fourth-down tries, numbers that highlighted the Ravens' late defensive issues.

Prescott's pre-snap recognition is a major concern for Baltimore. He reads pressure and attacks soft spots once defenses tip their coverage, and Lamb's movement between the slot and outside spots will stress the Ravens' communication. Ferguson adds another problem in the same areas of the field where Chris Olave repeatedly hurt Baltimore last week.

There were bright spots: the Ravens sacked Shough four times, with Trey Hendrickson and Mike Green each recording their first sacks for Baltimore. Generating pressure against Dallas without leaving coverage exposed will be the balancing act, and it starts with improved third-down defense in a game being played in Brazil.