ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Lamar Jackson doesn’t see a mopey bunch of Baltimore Ravens with the franchise off to its first 0-2 start since 2015, three years before the reigning NFL MVP was drafted.
There might a better word for both teams with Baltimore set to visit the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Angry.
Dallas has given up the most points in consecutive home games — 92 — since the winless expansion team of 1960 allowed 93 in back-to-back contests at the Cotton Bowl.
The Cowboys (1-1) were already a little grumpy about their 16-game home winning streak in the regular season because they thought they ruined it with the 48-32 wild-card loss to Green Bay at AT&T Stadium last January.
Then came New Orleans’ 44-19 blowout in Week 2, when the Saints scored touchdowns on their first six drives with little resistance from a defense that was dominant at times in a season-opening victory at Cleveland.
“They just have things to fix like we have things to fix,” Dallas cornerback Jourdan Lewis said. “We’ve got to get things tightened up so we don’t have another slide like we did last week. And I know they’re thinking the same thing. We’ve got to see who fixes what first.”
The Ravens, who had the best record in the regular season a year ago before losing to Super Bowl winner Kansas City in the AFC championship game, lost again after that 0-2 start nine years ago — and missed the playoffs at 5-11.
They probably know only one team since 2000 has recovered from 0-3 to reach the postseason. And that no Super Bowl champion has ever started that slowly.
“We’re trying to right our wrongs (and) get our pride back,” linebacker Odafe Oweh said. “It’s kind of tense in terms of, we do not want to go 0-3 — that’s not what’s going to happen. Everyone is pretty focused and understands what we have to do, even if it’s not outwardly spoken.”
Close calls
Oweh also said the Ravens “got smacked,” but that’s overstating things a bit.
They were in the rematch with the Chiefs most of the way on the NFL’s opening night, outgaining Kansas City by nearly 100 yards in the 27-20 loss.
Somehow, Baltimore blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter of last week’s 26-23 loss to Las Vegas, the Raiders winning on a field goal in the final minute.
“We’re not moping around,” Jackson said. “Our guys (are) not doubting each other, like, ‘Oh man, is this the reason we’re losing?’ or this or that.”
In a pickle
After the Cowboys were gashed for 190 yards rushing and TD passes of 70 and 57 yards against the Saints, first-year defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer was resolute.
Zimmer was the head coach in Minnesota for eight seasons before taking two years off, then reuniting with the Cowboys. His first debut as Dallas’ defensive play-caller was a 41-14 loss to Philadelphia in the 2000 opener, when the Eagles rushed for 306 yards.
It was known as the “pickle juice” game because it was 109 degrees at kickoff at Texas Stadium, with a field temperature that measured as high as 130. The Eagles drank pickle juice to try to stay hydrated and avoid muscle cramps.
As the questions about the defensive debacle against the Saints mounted, Zimmer settled on a history lesson.
“My first game here as the coordinator was the ‘pickle juice’ game,” Zimmer said. “I vowed to fix it after that, OK? If I didn’t fix those, I wouldn’t be standing here today.”
Feeling better now
Jackson’s agonizing wait in the green room during the draft came at the home of the Cowboys. The Ravens took him with the 32nd and final pick of the first round.
Two seasons later, Jackson won his first MVP trophy, so all was forgotten. Now the 27-year-old returns to AT&T Stadium for the first time since he was drafted.
“It’s definitely special, man,” Jackson said. “It’s definitely dope to go back and play this game and be in Dallas.”
On the run
Derrick Henry is off to a solid start in the two-time rushing champion’s debut with Baltimore following eight years in Tennessee.
The Cowboys are still trying to figure out where they stand at a position that was uncertain when the season started.
Henry has a touchdown in each of the first two games, and no Ravens back has ever scored at least once in each of his first three games with the club. The 2020 All-Pro had 84 yards against the Raiders.
Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle each has 56 yards rushing total through two games, and the Cowboys have the lingering question of when Dalvin Cook might be active on game day for the first time.
“Really just focused on our menu of concepts that we believe in,” Dallas coach Mike McCarthy said. “The time that we put into the training of those concepts, the confidence that the players have, and then you stack it up against the challenge that’s in front of you. And that’s the Ravens defense. That part will never change, regardless of what the statistics say.”
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