Not flawless, especially from backup QB Devin Leary, who looked no better than last summer, but Baltimore's defense was Ravens-tough as usual, while special teams excelled. Add it up, and the 24-16 win over the Colts last Thursday reminded of John Harbaugh's epic 24-game preseason win streak that ran into 2023. With Lamar Jackson likely sitting again, the prospect of more Leary tonight worries, but new backup Cooper Rush returning to Dallas and likely to get more work after looking very satisfactory a week ago. "Satisfactory" would have been an upgrade for the Cowboys, who looked sloppy and perhaps distracted in their opening loss to the Rams, as this looks very much a work in progress for new HC Brian Schottenheimer. Play Ravens.

Baltimore's backups have recently outscored opponents by double digits in the preseason, while Dallas has limited depth. This is a revenge game for Cooper Rush, who was signed this offseason as Lamar's primary relief and is expected to take the majority of first-half reps. Cooper Rush performed well for the Cowboys in Dallas against strong first-team defenses. He won't see anything close to that. Although the Ravens won in Week One, they were outgained 366-226 and recorded only 49 passing yards. John Harbaugh was not pleased with his team's performance. Quarterbacks Joe Milton and Will Grier may face difficulties against the Ravens' defense, even playing against backups. John Harbaugh's teams have gone 43–12 straight-up (.782) overall in the preseason since he took over in 2008.