Two 1–1 teams, one legendary stadium and a lot of unanswered questions. On Sunday 27 September, the Dallas Cowboys host the Baltimore Ravens at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro — the first NFL game ever played in the city and the second International Series game of 2026. Kickoff is 5:25pm local time (4:25pm ET / 3:25pm CT), with CBS carrying it in the US. Here is everything that matters, from the injury report to the travel plans to the matchups that will decide it. (For the early-season big picture, see our original Rio preview.)
How both teams got here
Neither side arrives with much momentum to lean on. Dallas opened with a 28–20 loss to the Giants on Sunday Night Football, then bounced back with a 37–20 win over Washington in Week 2. Baltimore looked dominant in a 41–23 opening-week win at Indianapolis, then stumbled at home: the Ravens led New Orleans 17–9 with 15 minutes to play and lost 24–17 after being outscored 15–0 in the fourth quarter. It was a rough regular-season home debut for first-year head coach Jesse Minter, and another conversation about the Ravens' habit of letting leads slip.
The odds
The market has Baltimore as a small favourite — around Ravens −3 with a total near 52.5 points, according to lines published this week (spreads move, so check before you bet). A few numbers explain why: the Ravens lead the NFL in net yards per play (+2.1) and rank in the top six for offensive EPA per play and success rate, while Dallas's defence ranks near the bottom of the league in opponent EPA per play and success rate. The over has also cashed in nine of the Cowboys' last ten games.
Ravens' offence vs Cowboys' defence: the game within the game
This is the matchup that decides how Sunday goes. Baltimore's attack runs through Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. Jackson threw for 235 yards against the Saints, but the run game faded late — Henry, who had been averaging 4.3 yards a carry, saw just five second-half carries as the Ravens tried to protect their lead. Expect Baltimore to correct that, because a committed Henry-plus-Jackson ground game is the fastest way to stress a Dallas defence already dealing with injuries.
Dallas knows it. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer put the plan simply: “You have to not let him get started,” he said of Henry, adding that if he gets seams and presses the hole, “that’s a problem.” On Jackson, the aim is to keep him contained rather than chase him. Several Dallas defenders are still recovering — cornerback Cobie Durant (hamstring), safety Malik Hooker (forearm), safety P.J. Locke (plantar fascia) and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown were all named in Schottenheimer’s injury updates this week — so depth and tackling will be under a spotlight.
Cowboys' offence vs Ravens' defence
Dallas showed real punch against Washington, and Dak Prescott has every weapon he could want if the pass catchers are healthy: CeeDee Lamb (ankle) and cornerback Trevon Diggs both moved to limited practice on Thursday, and tight end Jake Ferguson was upgraded to limited for the first time since a Week 1 knee injury. Alongside George Pickens and a backfield of Javonte Williams and Jaydon Blue, that is a group that can hurt a Ravens secondary with its own question marks — cornerback Nate Wiggins (neck/concussion) is listed questionable.
The rest of the Ravens' list is manageable: wide receiver Deonte Harty (calf) and outside linebacker David Ojabo (quad) are also questionable, while Zay Flowers, who missed practice time with a hamstring problem, is expected to return. Injury statuses change fast — check the final report before making picks.
The travel game, take two
After the 49ers and Rams took opposite approaches to jet lag in Melbourne (read the recap), this game is a much simpler test. Rio is only about an hour ahead of Baltimore and two hours ahead of Dallas, so the calculus is completely different. Both teams flew Thursday night and landed Friday morning, with a practice that afternoon — the Ravens in Botafogo, about half an hour outside Rio, and the Cowboys at the training facility of Brazilian club Flamengo — before a Saturday walkthrough at the Maracanã. Lamar Jackson called it a “business trip,” and Schottenheimer echoed the idea: he is “not planning any touristy attractions,” with the focus on sleep, rest and recovery. Neither side is running a jet-lag experiment this time.
The field, the stadium, the crowd
There was noise early in the week about the playing surface at the Maracanã. The NFL responded on Monday that it has “no concerns” about field conditions, though it’s worth watching given the injuries on both sides. Dallas is the designated home team, but expect a loud, largely Brazilian crowd — Brazil already has one of the biggest international NFL fanbases, and this is a stadium that has hosted two World Cup finals.
Three things to watch
- Does Baltimore stay on the run? Henry’s five second-half carries against the Saints were the Ravens’ biggest self-inflicted problem. Twenty-plus touches would show they learned.
- Can Dallas get stops without a full-strength defence? A couple of early third-down stops could swing the game.
- Who finishes the fourth quarter? Baltimore just lost a lead it should have held; Dallas just scored in bunches. Late-game management could be the difference.
Prediction
On paper the Ravens are the better team, and the market agrees. But Dallas is more balanced than a Week 1 loss suggests, Baltimore is short of confidence after that fourth-quarter collapse, and a big early Cowboys defensive stand would change the mood. It is genuinely close — we lean Ravens by a field goal. Make your own call on the Predictions page before kickoff (picks lock at kickoff, and the first-TD-scorer dropdown includes both rosters). Heading to Rio yourself? The Rio de Janeiro city guide has kickoff times in your time zone, where to watch and where to stay, and the weather guide covers what to pack.