News & Notes: Ravens Feel Good After Long…

Meeting with the media in Brazil following Friday’s practice, the Ravens said they felt recovered and refreshed after their 10-hour flight.

“We’ve had a great trip so far,” Head Coach Jesse Minter said. “We flew in last night, got in this morning, thought that went really well. We did some stuff to kind of get moving and then recover at the hotel. Had a chance to get out here and move around and had a little work at practice. We’re just excited.”

The Ravens did some pool therapy at their hotel after arriving, and Lamar Jackson said getting in the water helped his legs recover from the flight.

“From not moving us much as a normal day, you’re on the plane like nine or 10 hours, it’s good to have your body fresh,” Jackson said. “Body recovery, pool work, that helps a lot – reduce the soreness.”

Kyle Hamilton thought the Ravens handled the trip very well.

“I was a little nervous about the flight, but I slept a lot better on the plane than I thought I would,” Hamilton said. “A lot of people said the same thing and felt great getting off the plane.

“Credit to our nutrition and athletic performance staff. They’ve done a great job preparing us in Baltimore. When we got here, had a plan in place for us to get in the pool, kind of flush our legs out. It’s been a long day, but I think we all feel good going into the game.”

Will Jackson Put on Running Shoes Against the Cowboys?

The Cowboys have surrendered the most rushing yards to quarterbacks through the first two weeks, as both Jaxson Dart and Jayden Daniels hurt Dallas with their legs.

It remains to be seen if Jackson will run more often on Sunday than he has lately, or as the season progresses.

“The year just started, we don’t know how the season’s going to go,” Jackson said. “We’ve got a lot more games.”

Jackson has rushed 11 times for 74 yards through the first two weeks, and his rushing attempts have declined over the last two seasons. However, Jackson reiterated that his career-low 67 rushing attempts last season was due to injury.

“I was banged up a lot last year, had a hamstring injury going on the whole season,” Jackson said. “Even if coach designed run plays for me, I really couldn’t do what I wanted to do. That’s why the attempts were low.”

Minter said they still planned to take advantage of Jackson’s running ability, and that had chosen to hand off on some run-pass option plays so far.

“We’ve actually called a good amount of runs this year that could potentially be quarterback runs,” Minter said. “We know the type of player that he is, the type of weapon. The cool thing about Lamar is, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get a win.”

Minter Feels Ready to Adapt to Field Conditions

Professional soccer players voiced complaints last week about the condition of the grass field at Maracanã Stadium, the site of Sunday’s game. However, Minter said the Ravens were prepared to find the footwear and cleats that worked best for them.

“I think anytime there’s potential for the environment to impact, you’ve got to obviously have some ideas in mind,” Minter said. “I wouldn’t say it’s an advantage for one team. I would say the main thing is for our guys to get out there, to feel comfortable with it, to make sure they have the right type of footwear on.

“We’ve spent a lot of time thinking about that, not necessarily talking about it, but just our equipment staff doing an unbelievable job having a plan in place. Just like if it started pouring down rain in a game where you thought it might not, the ability to adjust will be really important.”

Inside linebacker Roquan Smith will test his cleats well before the game and make a switch if necessary.

“I’m not too concerned about the circumstances,” Smith said. “We’ll get out on the field, have pregame to truly test the footing. I’ll decide from there which type of cleats I need to perform best.”

Players Are Excited to See Crowd on Sunday

It won’t be a typical NFL crowd at Maracanã Stadium, with many Brazilian fans attending their first game.

Players and coaches are expecting an electric atmosphere. Minter was the Los Angeles Chargers’ defensive coordinator in 2025 when they opened the season in São Paulo, Brazil, by defeating the Kansas City Chiefs. Minter loved that experience and expects a similar scene.

“It’s a really fun environment,” Minter said. “A lot of people are kind of just interested in football. They get a chance to see a game live.

“They might not be necessarily cheering for one team or the other. They kind of get excited when both teams make plays. Both offenses and defense have to deal with the crowd.

I thought it created a cool atmosphere and environment. Once the game starts, it’s football.”

Derrick Henry said he’s eager to see fans in Rio de Janeiro react after watching the two NFL games that have been held in São Paulo on television.

“Great crowds, great energy, looks fun, the crowd looks like they’re into it,” Henry said. “I expect the same thing when we play, hopefully it’s even better in a legendary stadium. I’m excited to see the fans, embrace everybody, just happy to be here.”

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