FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys have allowed 126 rushing yards to quarterbacks through two games, the most in the NFL. Defensive tackle Kenny Clark said Tuesday that Sunday’s game against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro has to be won up front.
Jaxson Dart ran for 54 of those yards on 11 carries in the New York Giants’ 28-20 win over Dallas on Sept. 13 at MetLife Stadium. A week later, the Cowboys saw Jayden Daniels and beat the Washington Commanders, 37-20, at AT&T Stadium.
The 1-1 Cowboys and the 1-1 Ravens meet at 3:25 p.m. CT on Sunday at Maracanã Stadium, where Dallas is the designated home team for the first regular-season NFL game played in Rio de Janeiro. With the team flying to Brazil on Thursday, Tuesday served as Wednesday on the Cowboys’ practice calendar.
“Just staying on the same routine,” Clark said. “Today, I mean, it’s Tuesday, but it’s our Wednesday in our prep. So, just attacking it that way.”
Kenny Clark Wants Discipline Against Running Quarterbacks
Jackson has rushed for a touchdown in both of his career games against Dallas. He has 181 rushing yards in those two games.
“Just being disciplined, communication, just understanding our rush lanes, playing with extension, powering the offensive linemen, just restricting those gaps so you can’t get through,” Clark explained. “But the main thing is just make sure we stay disciplined and communicate.”
Clark is in his 11th NFL season and his second with Dallas. The Green Bay Packers drafted him 27th overall out of UCLA in 2016. The three-time Pro Bowl selection came to the Cowboys in the August 2025 trade that sent Micah Parsons to Green Bay. He started all 17 games last season and finished with 36 tackles and 3 sacks. Getting off blocks and making plays on the ball were part of what he liked from the win over Washington.
“I love the way we set edges and knocked things back in the run game,” Clark said. “I thought we, just talking about just doing more as a defensive line, getting off blocks, making plays on the ball. I thought we did a good job at that.”
“Main thing now is just handling that quarterback and not letting offenses get extended drives, get more plays under our belt during drives so we can stop them early, get them in third-and-long situations,” Clark continued. “I think we did a good job of getting them in third-and-long situations. We’ve got to get off the field.”
Jackson follows Dart and Daniels as the third running quarterback Dallas has faced in three weeks. The two-time MVP has thrown for 22,608 yards and 187 touchdowns in eight seasons with Baltimore.
“We haven’t did too well with the mobile quarterbacks,” Clark said. “We’ve got to get better. We’ve got to get better there. And excited for the challenge, for sure.”
“It’s definitely a challenge, but I’m excited for it,” Clark added. “The game’s got to be won up front, and that’s our mentality.”
Kenny Clark Heads Back To Brazil After Toe Injury In São Paulo
The last NFL game Clark played in Brazil was the Packers’ 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 6, 2024, at Arena Corinthians in São Paulo. Clark hurt the big toe on his right foot when it got stuck in the turf that night. He played all 17 regular-season games that season and the playoff loss to Philadelphia, then had surgery on the foot in January 2025.
A player for Flamengo, the Brazilian club that plays its home matches at Maracanã, criticized the field’s condition last week. NFL field director Nick Pappas told The Dallas Morning News on Monday that he does not expect the game to be moved. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said the team will bring different cleat options, and Dallas gets its first look at the Maracanã field on Saturday. Clark’s attention this week is on getting his body ready for Sunday.
“I’m getting on the flight and I’m playing ball,” Clark said. “Just taking this prep, it’s my Wednesday. Taking the prep in and getting my body prepared to have a battle on Sunday. So I’m excited about the challenge, excited about playing the Baltimore Ravens. And, yeah, I’m ready to go.”
The Cowboys practice Wednesday and Thursday in Frisco before leaving for Rio de Janeiro. Kickoff against the Ravens is 3:25 p.m. CT on Sunday on CBS.
