The Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens are heading into their Week 3 matchup in Brazil on increasingly even footing. Per the latest update, injuries on both ides threaten to reshape the game plan.

Cowboys cornerback Cobie Durant, safety Malik Hooker, and his backup PJ Locke are all ruled out for Sunday’s game, thinning an already-tested secondary. The Ravens, however, will likely be without starting wide receiver Zay Flowers again. He is expected to miss his second consecutive game due to a hamstring injury. Let’s dive into how this affects Sunday’s matchup abroad.

Flowers’ absence levels the playing field

According to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, Flowers missed his second consecutive practice on Thursday. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport also reported earlier in the day that the injury status for Flowers does not bode well for his appearance on Sunday.

The timing makes this even more significant. Both teams are essentially treating the Week 3 matchup like a short-week game because of the long flight to Brazil. It’s not as grueling as the Australia trip the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers endured in Week 1, but it’s still challenging enough that the schedule has forced both organizations into short-week mode. If players aren’t practicing on Thursday, their status for Sunday looks bleak.

For the Cowboys, losing Flowers from the opposing lineup is a significant break. Dallas is already expected to be without Durant at cornerback and Hooker at safety. Locke, who was filling in for Hooker, is also expected to miss the game. That means the Cowboys will turn to backup cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. and safety Markquese Bell in expanded roles. And if you watched Week 2 closely, you’ll know both of them were heavily targeted by the Commanders as soon as they took the field last weekend.

Baltimore still has Rashod Bateman at wide receiver and Mark Andrews at tight end. Devontez Walker also proved on Sunday he can be a legitimate deep threat with a 47-yard catch from Lamar Jackson. The Ravens have weapons. But without their top receiver, Baltimore will almost certainly lean even harder into its ground game, which is what they do best. Derrick Henry continues to be an absolute menace as a runner, and Jackson himself remains a threat with his legs.

Does Christian Parker adjust his scheme?

Here’s where this gets interesting for the Cowboys defense, and specifically for defensive coordinator Christian Parker.

Parker runs a scheme that heavily relies on light boxes and split-safety looks pre-snap to stop the run. The problem? The Commanders and Giants were both clearly able to run the football against that approach through the first two weeks. Against the Ravens and their rushing attack, which is even better, that’s a major concern.

The Ravens show a lot of multi-tight end sets. They like to use multiple running backs. They want to run the football and are the best offense in the NFL doing so in success rate, via RBSDM. So the question becomes: Do the Cowboys take advantage of Baltimore’s personnel groupings and go back to running more base defense?

Going to base means four defensive backs on the field. That removes Bell (as nickelback Downs plays safety in base groupings), who was a liability in coverage against the Commanders and will likely be targeted by Baltimore whenever he steps onto the field. It also creates a starting safety duo of Jalen Thompson and Caleb Downs, with Downs playing closer to the box as a major part of the run defense. That approach would mask some of the Cowboys’ secondary injuries because safety suddenly doesn’t look like a weakness.

There’s a tradeoff, though. Going heavy with base defense would open up vulnerabilities against the pass underneath, particularly with the Cowboys’ outside linebackers in coverage. If Dallas runs five-man fronts with a linebacker dropping into coverage, that’s something the Giants successfully exploited in Week 1. It’s a pick-your-poison situation.

Still, maximizing Caleb Downs’ value in this game feels essential. Getting him involved against the run would be easier with heavier boxes instead of the light-box approach the Cowboys have used for most of the first two weeks.

Ronnie Stanley’s status could swing the trenches

On the other side of the ball, Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley missed two practices with a toe injury. If Stanley can’t play Sunday, Baltimore loses one of the best players on its offense. Backup Carson Vincent entered the game after Stanley suffered the injury and allowed two pressures in only 10 pass-blocking opportunities, per PFF. That could open up favorable matchups for the Cowboys, potentially with Donovan Ezeiruaku and Malachi Lawrence taking on a backup left tackle.

Dallas will also be without linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, meaning rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham will have to play a major role.

For now, we wait to see how Christian Parker adjusts and whether the Cowboys can turn these circumstances into an advantage in Brazil.