Odds, predictions, stats and betting trends for week 3

It’s Week 3 and the Dallas Cowboys have another tough game to face at AT&T Stadium against the Baltimore Ravens, who are 0-2. Both teams are coming off tough losses last week and are looking to get back on track.

The Cowboys lost to the Saints (44-19) and the Ravens lost a close home game to the Las Vegas Raiders (26-23). ​​With a 0-2 record, Baltimore cannot afford to lose a third straight game to start the 2024 campaign.

Being in different conferences, these teams don’t meet often. In fact, the Ravens and Cowboys have only met five times since 2004. That series was as lopsided as Dallas’ loss to New Orleans last week, with the Ravens winning four of the last five. This sixth meeting will be the third meeting between these teams in the Big D. In the previous two meetings in Dallas, the teams are 1-1.

Like last week, this is another tough game in terms of the running game for this Cowboys defense that got run through like toilet paper by Alvin Kamara last week. He ran for 115 yards and three touchdowns. Then Kamara added a 57-yard TD on a play-by-play for good measure.

Things don’t get any better in Week 3 with the addition of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. Against the Raiders last week, Henry averaged 4.7 carries per carry on 18 attempts. A few more carries for Henry and the Ravens could win this game. In Week 1, he only had 13 carries, which is an improvement. So the Cowboys should expect a heavy dose of “King” Henry on Sunday.

On the other side of the field for Dallas, Dak Prescott and his team are looking to bounce back from an embarrassing 0-of-3 red zone performance last week. These Cowboys can’t beat the Ravens on field goals, just like they couldn’t beat the Saints. Prescott had some decent numbers last week, but a lot of those came when the game was well out of reach. If Prescott can figure out Baltimore’s defense and score some TDs, Dallas should improve to 2-1.

The key to Dallas winning this game is converting those valuable red zone opportunities. If Mike McCarthy can’t find a way to get Brandin Cooks and Jalen Tolbert more involved in the offense, it’s going to be a long season. CeeDee Lamb is good, but the Cowboys can’t win and compete with an offense that only has him. Especially since their running game is nothing special.

For Baltimore, it’s all about controlling the clock offensively and exploiting Dallas’ mediocre run defense. Henry should see 20-25 carries in this game. If he does, Henry should have his first 100-yard outing as a Raven. Jackson will get his in the passing game and on the ground, but Henry has to be the focal point.

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