It has been a tale of two games so far for the Dallas Cowboys in a general sense, as both the offense and defense recovered from a Week 1 nap and largely played well in their 37-20 Week 2 win. Several themes are developing with this team, though, one of which is a struggling pass rush.
Struggling may not be the best way to describe what is going on with the front of Christian Parker's defense, but the results certainly haven't been great in the early going, as the pass rush has failed to get quarterbacks on the ground or contain them from scrambling. It has been a sizeable issue.
With the Baltimore Ravens on the docket, that job won't get any easier, as Lamar Jackson has been a transcendent player at the quarterback position in terms of his mobility. Jackson may not see it this way, but this is a daunting challenge for Dallas' pass rush.
And one that they must pass to instill confidence in this fanbase.
Cowboys have struggled to contain mobile QBs in early part of 2026 season
In the Cowboys' first two games of the season, they have recorded just two sacks, both of which came on opening night against the New York Giants. Last week against the Washington Commanders, Dallas didn't record a single sack. But that's not the whole picture.
The team has a whopping 31 pressures and 10 hits through eight quarters of play, and yet, just a measly two sacks. That is a pressure-to-sack percentage of just 6.5%, which is abysmal when considering that the league average hovers somewhere around 20%.
Making matters much worse is the fact that the Cowboys' failure to get quarterbacks on the ground has allowed those signal-callers to run all over the Dallas defense by scrambling. Jaxson Dart totaled 54 yards on the ground, 28 of which came on scrambles, and Jayden Daniels had 69 scramble yards.
Dallas is giving up 6.83 yards per carry to opposing quarterbacks, and so many of those scrambles came in key situations or on third downs when the pass rush simply had to get home, and they just couldn't. 135 rushing yards allowed by players under center in two weeks is downright unacceptable.
And Lamar Jackson is arguably the greatest runner and escape artist of this generation.
Lamar Jackson will test Dallas' inability to sack QBs more than any other player in the league
Through two games, Jackson has 72 scramble yards and a rushing touchdown on the season, which is enough to strike fear in the Cowboys' defense. But let's also remember that in his career, he has 2,925 scramble yards and an incredible 39 touchdowns on the ground.
Not to meniton, his 17.5% pressure-to-sack rate is lower than the league average, and that rate was down at 11.2% in 2024 before Jackson's injury-riddled 2025 campaign. Jackson is Harry Houdini in the pocket, and Dallas has been chasing ghosts all year anyway.
Jackson has ducked and escaped countless sacks in his career, and if there was ever a quarterback to embody the phrase "Make 'em pay with your legs," it's Jackson. Dart and Daniels are mobile, and the Cowboys had issues. Jackson is a different beast altogether.
If the Dallas pass rush can't finish plays against Baltimore and get Jackson on the ground, or at the very least, prevent him from escaping the pocket and creating magic with his feet, then it'll be a long Sunday. If they can, then that'll go a long way in tilting the balance in this game the Cowboys' way.
Either way, it'll be a massive challenge for Parker's unit, who needs to start trending in the right direction.
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