Sep 24, 2026 · 49 min
Cowboys and Ravens face defensive questions in Brazil
Hour 1: Are There More Questions About the Ravens or the Cowboys?
The neutral-site matchup tests whether Dallas and Baltimore can resolve defensive weaknesses while shaping their division outlooks.
- 1Dallas’s run defense and Baltimore’s defensive confusion make the Brazil matchup an early test of both teams’ identities.
- 2The Giants must weigh staying with Jameis Winston against pursuing a replacement after Jackson Dart’s season-ending knee surgery.
- 3The panel sees Georgia, Green Bay, and the Rams as stronger bets than Oklahoma, Chicago, and Denver in their respective debates.
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The panel’s sharpest disagreement comes over whether Dallas or Baltimore has the more consequential defensive problem entering the Brazil matchup.
The brief
From Rio de Janeiro, the panel frames Cowboys-Ravens as more than a neutral-site showcase: Dallas’s run defense and Baltimore’s defensive confusion face immediate scrutiny.
Lamar Jackson’s offense and Derrick Henry’s running threat give Baltimore a clear identity, but the discussion turns on whether its defense can match it against Dallas.
The Giants’ quarterback plans become urgent after Jackson Dart’s knee surgery, with the panel weighing Jameis Winston against the difficulty of a midseason move.
The conversation broadens to Karl-Anthony Towns’s extension, the NFC North hierarchy, and Oklahoma’s chance to keep Georgia’s defense from controlling their SEC matchup.
Stephen A. Smith remains high on the Rams but questions whether Denver can withstand stronger AFC competition, especially against the run.