Ravens Set to Play 2026 NFL Game in Brazil
For the third time in franchise history, the Baltimore Ravens will play a football game outside the United States. On April 24th, it was officially announced by the league that the Ravens would face the Dallas Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro in Week Three. It was originally announced that the Cowboys would be the designated home team, with no date or opponent listed. It wasn’t until April 1st that reports surfaced that the Ravens would be the opponent the Cowboys would face on a different continent. The story first broke with sources supposedly confirming to both the Baltimore Banner and Baltimore Sun, two digital media outlets in the heart of Baltimore, MD, but no immediate word from the league or Ravens, until now.
Both Baltimore and Dallas are not strangers to playing overseas, but are also not frequent travelers to any of the countries involved in the NFL International Series. In 2014, the Cowboys were the designated away team for their first and only international game, versus the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have played overseas a league-high 14 times. Dallas ended up winning that game 31-17 behind nearly 400 yards of total offense, led by a 100-yard performance from DeMarco Murray and 158 yards and two touchdowns from Dez Bryant. Before the announcement of this matchup in Brazil, the Cowboys were the only team to play in one international game and hold the longest drought of not playing internationally.
On the other hand, the Ravens have been to London twice, walking away with a 1-1 record. Their first matchup in 2017 was a lopsided 44-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Not only was this game a 9:30 a.m. EST kickoff, but the Ravens found themselves down 44-0, not scoring their first points until the three-minute mark of the fourth quarter, after both teams pulled their starters. In a weird shift of dynamics, former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco completed less than 50% of his passes for 28 yards and two picks, while 2014 first-round bust Blake Bortles threw for four touchdowns. To be fair, the 2017 Jaguars were known for their stout defense that would eventually take them to an AFC Conference Championship, and the Ravens struggled on offense and missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five years.
The Ravens’ second appearance in the international series was a breath of fresh air, as by 2023, Lamar Jackson had already won his first MVP and was on his way to his second. The game was also a 9:30 a.m. EST kickoff, but the Ravens won, taking down the Tennessee Titans 24-16. Each team only scored one touchdown, but the Ravens were able to get into field goal range more often with their automatic deep-range kicker, Justin Tucker, who went six-for-six and added an extra point. The Titans’ only touchdown came from Derrick Henry, who would ironically join the Ravens just one season later.
As for the matchup between these teams, it will be Jackson vs. Dak Prescott for just the second time. The first time Prescott played the Ravens, Jackson was still in college at Louisville. In Jackson’s first matchup against the Cowboys, Prescott was on injured reserve, leaving their first true matchup to come in 2024. The Ravens almost blew a fourth-quarter lead, but came away with a 28-25 win. With the new 17-game schedule rules, the Cowboys found themselves on the Ravens’ schedule in 2026 for Jackson and Prescott’s second battle, this time in Brazil.
