When the Dallas Cowboys play the Baltimore Ravens tomorrow at AT&T Stadium for their home opener, they’ll be getting their second introduction to the AFC North and their brand of football, likely having a tougher time than they did with the Cleveland Browns Wek 1. Ceedee Lamb received a contract extension in the offseason making him one of the highest paid receivers in the NFL. He met with media members after Thursday’s practice and expressed his anticipation in playing AFC North teams and the upcoming Baltimore Ravens game.
“Yeah they’re gridiron,” Lamb told reporters via the Cowboys’ YouTube channel. “That’s a conference right there. They’re pretty good. We’ll see all of them obviously and I’m looking forward to it”.
The Dallas Cowboys are looking to rebound after suffering a 44-19 loss to the New Orleans Saints last week. Lamb himself had a good game with 4 receptions for 90 yards and 1 touchdown. However, the rest of his offense struggled to put up enough points (19) and create a balanced attack with only accumulating 68 total yards rushing for the game.
He also noticed on film that the Baltimore Ravens secondary poses a challenge to him and the rest of the Dallas Cowboys offense.
“Them boys physical. Big and tall. Obviously, you’ve got guys like Kyle Hamilton, you got Marlon [Humphrey], Eddie Jackson. Guys with a lot of experience, know what they’re doing back there, and play well together”.
He is giving them honorable respect and acknowledging their physicality and size, but the Ravens secondary has struggled this year. They are last in the NFL in passing yards allowed. They have a defense that’s accumulated 33 pressures and 7 sacks, indicating they’re getting to opposing quarterbacks. Their secondary has been the main culprit of the pass defense struggles so far through two weeks.
The AFC North is known for its physical brand of football that necessitates a mindset of toughness when you face those teams. The Pittsburgh Steelers have big secondary players of their own and bring a level of aggressiveness in their defensive approach that makes them one of the best defenses in the NFL. Cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr. and Corey Trice Jr. are both listed at 6-3. Donte Jackson may not have the size, but he’s embracing the mold of what it means to be a Steeler. Safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliot have been excellent in coverage this year. This unit has performed as well as you could possibly hope for over the first two weeks of the season.
Pittsburgh plays Dallas on Oct. 6 and the secondary’s battle with Lamb will undoubtedly be one of the key matchups for the game. I’m sure the competitive Porter Jr. will be looking forward to matching up against him when they play each other. This is a good litmus test for him to get acquainted with an AFC North opponent in Baltimore that has historically played with a similar defensive intensity.
