The Cowboys and Ravens are headed to Brazil with identical records, but the journey to their 1-1 records has been rather different.
While Dallas picked up a much-needed win after losing its opener, the Ravens missed a chance to improve to 2-0 by falling to the Saints after a second-half collapse.
Now, they head to Rio de Janeiro for a critical Week 3 matchup. Both teams have some key injuries to overcome but will bring two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL as Lamar Jackson and Dak Prescott square off at the historic Marcana Stadium.
Here are 10 key storylines for the game, with five each for the Cowboys and Ravens.
Ravens
Week 2 setback – After dominating their opponents in the preseason, then carrying that momentum into the regular season with a blowout over the Colts in Week 1, the Ravens suffered a major setback last week, losing a second-half lead to the Saints, who stunned Baltimore with a 24-17 win. It was the first loss for new head coach Jesse Minter, who took over for longtime coach John Harbaugh, who is now with the Giants. Minter and the staff are facing controversy for not protecting a second-half lead, something that has become a trend for the Ravens in recent years.
More touches for Henry – While the Ravens' fan base is frustrated by Derrick Henry getting only five carries in the second half of last week's loss, it's not that Baltimore has forgotten about him. Henry is among only three backs in the NFL with more than 200 yards, as he ranks third with 212 and is fifth in the league in attempts with 40. Henry has faced the Cowboys twice in his career, once with the Titans and once with Baltimore. He's rushed for 178 yards, and his 5.74-yard average is the fourth-highest in his career against one team.
Dual-threat Lamar – While he's always mentioned as one of, if not the very best, running quarterbacks of all time, Lamar Jackson seems to be rather underrated as a passer. His 102.2 career QB rating is No. 1 in league history, and this year, he's fifth in the NFL in passing yards with 559. His 10.0 average per attempt currently ranks No. 1 in the league. Add that to his rushing ability, with 74 yards in two games this year, and Jackson (2-0 vs. Dallas) once again should be the Cowboys' top focus as they try to beat him for the first time.
Injuries to Flowers & Stanley – Two prominent Ravens offensive players have dealt with nagging injuries so far this year. Zay Flowers reaggravated a hamstring injury in Week 1 and missed last week's game against the Saints. Offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley had to leave the game Sunday with a toe injury. Both players have a chance to return this week in Brazil, but that decision could come closer to kickoff.
Heading to Rio – The Ravens will make just their third trip for an international game in franchise history, with both previous appearances coming in London. However, Baltimore's roster might have a little more international-game experience than the Cowboys, having last played overseas in 2023, whereas it's been 12 years for Dallas. Still, this trip to Brazil will be unlike any other with the long flight to South America, plus the expected field issues that could make for tough sledding for both teams.
Cowboys
Collecting the must win – Yes, the season is still very early, but the Cowboys were already 0-1 after a disappointing showing in Week 1 and couldn't afford another NFC East loss. So the way they put things together in the second half to pull away from Washington and secure the 37-20 win was encouraging. It didn't matter as much that the defense gave up more yards to the Commanders, despite Washington playing two quarterbacks. The Cowboys needed a win in the worst way, and going to Brazil with an 0-2 record would've been demoralizing.
Secondary issues – The Cowboys are getting their share of injuries, especially at the same position, which is creating quite a dilemma in the secondary. Not only did Malik Hooker (forearm) suffer an injury that has sidelined him for a couple of games, but now safety P.J. Locke (foot) and Cobie Durant (hamstring) have injuries that will likely keep them out for this game as well. It's setting up a good-news/bad-news situation for the Cowboys because while it doesn't appear that Hooker, Locke or Durant will need to go to IR, the team is now scrambling to fill those spots during the game with backups and/or players from the practice squad. A good candidate to be elevated this week from the practice squad is Reddy Steward, who has experience at safety and slot corner.
Record-setting QB – What a moment it was on Sunday for Dak Prescott, who became the Cowboys' all-time leader in passing touchdowns, surpassing Tony Romo (248). Dak is now the Cowboys' leader in passing yards, completion percentage, attempts, completions, passer rating and touchdowns. The only regular-season stat in which Dak doesn't rank first is QB wins as a starter. Prescott is currently third with 84, needing one to tie Roger Staubach at 85. The leader is Troy Aikman with 94. More than anything, Dak had a four-TD game to get the Cowboys' offense back on track, something that is critical this season as the defense continues to learn and grow under new DC Christian Parker.
Defensive improvement, but … – Yes, there were some signs of growth on Sunday against Washington. But had Commanders QB Jayden Daniels not been injured before halftime, who knows how the second half would've gone. Still, Dallas stepped up and made some plays, including a critical forced fumble by rookie Jaishawn Barham, which led to the Cowboys scoring and opening up the game. But stopping the run has been a problem through the first two games, as Dallas is giving up 173.5 rushing yards per game. And it doesn't help that Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson are waiting for them in Brazil here in Week 3.
Where's the run game? – Not sure what is more staggering: allowing 173.5 rushing yards per game or averaging only 67.5 rushing yards on offense. Either way, the Cowboys have just as much of a problem running the ball as they do stopping it. At least for the offense, there is a potential fix in sight with Tyler Smith (thumb) expected to return from IR soon, perhaps as early as Week 5. But until then, the offensive line must figure out ways to open holes for Javonte Williams and the running game. Brian Schottenheimer acknowledged the run-game issues so far this year but pointed out that the game plan was to throw the ball more on Sunday and attack Washington through the air, which they did for 266 yards.
1 – Terence Steele – The only offensive lineman in the group, Steele caught a TD pass from Dak against Washington in the 2021 season.
1 – Brevyn Spann-Ford– With a new extension recently signed, BSF should get plenty of chances to rise higher on this list.
1 – Sean McKeon– His only career touchdown occurred on a pass from Dak in 2021.
1 – Ventell Bryant– Caught his only touchdown of his career with the Cowboys in 2019 from Dak.
1 – Devin Smith– He hauled in a 51-yard bomb from Dak against Washington in 2019.
1 – Geoff Swaim– His first career touchdown was a 3-yard score against the Lions from Dak. Swaim would finish his career with seven career TDs, mostly with the Titans.
1 – Rod Smith– In what appeared to be a quick slant over the middle, Smith scored his only touchdown with the Cowboys on an 81-yard play against the Giants in 2017, the fifth-longest of Dak's career.
1 – Hunter Luepke – His versatility keeps him on the field in many roles, from fullback to tight end and occasional running back. Luepke caught a 1-yard TD against the Panthers in 2025.
1 – James Hanna– His only touchdown of his career came from Dak in a 2017 game against the Rams.
1 – Gavin Escobar– Escobar's final TD catch of his career came from Dak in 2016 against the Browns.
1 – Corey Clement– In his only season with the Cowboys, Clement played all 17 games in 2021, scoring his only touchdown of the season on a pass from Dak.
2 – Noah Brown– After spending the first four years of his career fighting for playing time, especially on offense, Brown developed into a target in the passing game, catching two of his six career touchdowns from Dak.
2 – Malik Turner– Turner finished his career with four touchdowns, including three in the 2021 season – two of which came from Dak.
2 – Luke Schoonmaker – Although he's done most of his work at the line of scrimmage as a blocker, Schoonmaker did catch two touchdowns as a rookie from Dak.
2 – Allen Hurns – His six-year career included 25 touchdowns, including at least two in every season. During his one year in Dallas, Hurns caught a couple scores from Prescott in 2018.
2 – Peyton Hendershot – After scoring on a 2-yard touchdown earlier in the season, Hendershot reeled in a 20-yard pass from Dak against Jacksonville in 2022.
3 – Javonte Williams– While the majority of his work is in the ground game, Williams has proven to be a reliable target out of the backfield, even scoring a touchdown already in the season from Dak.
3 – Terrance Williams– The veteran caught 20 touchdowns in his career, including four in 2016 during Dak's rookie season.
3 – Randall Cobb – After catching 41 touchdowns – mostly from Aaron Rodgers – during his career with the Packers, Cobb made a one-year stop in Dallas in 2019, catching three TDs from Dak.
3 – Tavon Austin – A dynamic return specialist, Austin also occasionally made some big plays in the passing game, catching three touchdowns.
4 – Ryan Flournoy – After recently signing a contract extension before the season, Flournoy is expected to be among the top three receivers in Dallas this year and beyond and should be able to climb this list.
4 – Tony Pollard – A 1,000-yard runner for two straight years, Pollard was also dangerous out of the backfield, catching four TDs from Dak.
4 – Jalen Tolbert – He finished his Cowboys career with 10 touchdown catches, but just four from Dak.
5 – Rico Dowdle – Another hard-nosed runner who did most of his work on the ground, but Dowdle was a threat in the passing game, catching five scores.
6 – KaVontae Turpin – The speedy return specialist has been more than a Pro Bowl kick returner, catching six scores from Dak, including an 86-yarder at Washington in 2025.
6 – Brice Butler – One of Butler's touchdowns occurred in the 2017 regular-season finale when Butler scored the game's only points in a 6-0 win at Philadelphia.
7 – Cedrick Wilson – A player who benefited from offseason work in Prescott's "Dak-yard," Wilson caught seven TD passes from Dak, including six in the 2021 season.
8 – Blake Jarwin – Just like Dak has been overly successful against the Giants, Jarwin can say the same. Of his eight touchdown catches from Dak, five occurred against NYG.
9 – George Pickens – With nine TD catches in 2025, Pickens became just the second player (CeeDee Lamb) to record at least nine in a season with Dak.
9 – Brandin Cooks – In just a short period of time, Cooks and Dak formed a great duo, especially with eight touchdowns alone in 2023.
11 – Jason Witten – While Dak and Witten connected on the opposite ends of their careers, the quarterback learned right away how valuable a tight end can be in the red zone.
11 – Ezekiel Elliott – One of Dak's longest TD passes of his career occurred on one of his shortest throws as Zeke turned a screen into an 83-yard score in their rookie season of 2016.
12 – Cole Beasley - While he started his career with Tony Romo, Beasley finished his time in Dallas with 23 touchdown catches. So the dozen he caught from Dak are the most from any QB.
14 – Dez Bryant – Dak found Dez in the end zone eight times in 2016 for a combination that would eventually include the Cowboys' all-time leader in TD catches and passes.
15 – Dalton Schultz – After Witten, Schultz stepped into the consistent role as Dak's trusty tight end, with a career-high eight TD receptions in 2021.
16 – Michael Gallup – The only starting quarterback Gallup played with consistently, Dak threw him the ball for 16 of his 21 career scores.
16 – Jake Ferguson – With two more last week in Dak's record-setting game, Ferguson moved into third place and first among tight ends for Prescott's TDs.
22 – Amari Cooper – Right away after the midseason trade in 2018, Cooper and Dak established quite the rapport, racking up a TD connection in nearly every other-game of their time together.
37 – CeeDee Lamb – It was only fitting that Lamb hauled in Dak's record-breaking touchdown in a Week 2 win over the Commanders. Lamb not only has the most TDs by far, but also had the longest of Dak's career with a 92-yarder vs. Detroit in 2023.
