Haloti Ngata said the Ravens adapt a different mentality when the opposition reaches their 20-yard line.
“Our mindset is ‘they aren’t in till they are in,'” he said in front of his locker wearing a gray, long sleeved T-shirt following Wednesday’s practice. “No matter how close they are, they are never getting in.”
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But it will take more than a mindset for the Ravens (9-5) to keep the Cowboys (9-5) out of the end zone on Saturday night at 8:15 at Texas Stadium as they try to maintain control of their playoff destiny.
The Cowboys are ranked second in the league in touchdown percentage (65.9) in the red zone, crossing the goal line 24 out of 37 trips inside their opponents’ 20-yard line. But the Ravens have been just as good on defense, allowing opponents to score touchdowns just 35.3 percent of the time a team gets the ball near their end zone. Ravens’ opponents also have scored a league-low 12 touchdowns on 34 trips inside their 20-yard line.
“We’re pretty good in the red zone too, so something has to give there this week,” Dallas quarterback Tony Romo said. “They do a great job of understanding their assignments of where they are supposed to be.”
The Cowboys’ red zone efficiency can be attributed to Romo (3,013 yards, 24 TDs, 11 INTs) and his array of talented receivers, including Terrell Owens (9 TDs), Patrick Crayton (4), Martellus Bennett (4) and Jason Witten (3).
“Those guys can play,” cornerback Fabian Washington said. “As a corner, these are the type of games you like because you can see where you are at as a player.”
The Ravens’ defense, however, has failed to make a decisive play in the red zone in two of the team’s five losses this season. The unit yielded a 92-yard drive capped by a four-yard third-down touchdown catch by Santonio Holmes with just 43 seconds remaining on Sunday. In a 13-10 loss to the Titans on Oct. 5, Alge Crumpler caught a game-winning 11-yard touchdown with just 1:56 left.
“Everybody has goals and for us defensively it’s ‘bend but don’t break,'” linebacker Ray Lewis said. “The Cowboys have done a great job of getting to the red zone and getting into the red zone this season. Our job is to make sure they don’t get the ball down there and that will be as big a task as anything.”