Micah vs. Lamar Jackson & Derrick Henry: What's the Plan?

FRISCO — The Dallas Cowboys defense disappointed in its return to AT&T Stadium against the New Orleans Saints. In an overall uninspiring effort, the group has come under fire since Sunday afternoon.

Mike Zimmer, Mike McCarthy and Micah Parsons have all sounded off various reasons for those struggles, yet no collection of words can soothe the blemishes created after the Saints gashed this group for 60 minutes.

After conceding 190 rushing yards to Alvin Kamara and the Saints, Dallas faces a sharp turnaround against one of the most dangerous offenses in the NFL.

The Baltimore Ravens enter Week 3 averaging the most yards per game of any offense in the league (417.5). They also have a top-10 rushing attack behind the efforts of Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson at quarterback.

This style of offense differs from the Shanahan origins of the Saints group the Cowboys struggled against in Week 2. Nonetheless, it is a beast capable of damaging Dallas just the same as New Orleans.

"At the end of the day, I just believe we got outplayed," Cowboys star Micah Parsons said after the game . "Whoever played on that field, everyone didn’t play to 100 percent That’s just me being accountable and saying the truth. We all got to play better."

"Better" may still not be enough against Baltimore. With the group at hand, it will take this group's best effort to limit Henry and corral Jackson.

Up front, Dallas cannot get turned moved around as they did on Sunday. At times, Kamara could pick his lane of choice for a big gain. Against Henry, those lanes need to be closed off and the Cowboys will have to make tackles on a physical body.

There will not be a break from that shifty style and elusive speed, as Jackson promises to threat on scrambles and designed runs with those skills.

So what is the solution then?

Related: How Will Zimmer, Cowboys Defense Bounce Back after Saints Humiliation?

There is talk about Micah "spying'' Lamar. That's a sort of exotic notion, though compared to something simple: If Dallas cannot dominate the line of scrimmage, they still have to create a presence in the backfield. Linemen have to clog lanes and linebackers will have to make their fits. Altogether, the Cowboys cannot get "outplayed" the way they did last week.

The Cowboys' defense finding success on early downs will be key against Baltimore. Given their 0-2 record, the visitors may enter this game the more desperate team.

That could mean exerting their will harder, or pressing into mistakes. Parsons and his teammates have to ensure that the latter happens first.