Cowboys to have 'live film session' during Ravens game

COVID-19 issues within the Baltimore Ravens that ultimately led to the NFL postponing a Thanksgiving showdown between Baltimore and the Pittsburgh Steelers to Wednesday afternoon is providing the Dallas Cowboys with a unique experience. 

Next week, the Cowboys will travel to face Baltimore for a rare Tuesday night game caused by league rescheduling. Beforehand, Dallas coach Mike McCarthy is separating players by position groups for live study sessions during the Ravens-Steelers matchup. 

"To be able to watch them play live, I think will be a little benefit if we did it together," McCarthy explained when speaking with reporters before the Wednesday outing, per Todd Archer of ESPN. "I thought it's a unique opportunity. We've all watched Monday night games before, but rarely do you get to watch a game live after you're two days into your preparation."

Dallas personnel will adhere to social distancing guidelines while watching an undermanned Baltimore side take the field to face the unbeaten Steelers without reigning NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson, running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram, tight end Mark Andrews and several noteworthy defensive starters. 

The Cowboys have a long break following a loss to the Washington Football Team on Thanksgiving and will see how the other NFC East teams handle their business before playing at Baltimore. Dallas enters the first weekend of December at 3-8 but only one game behind the first-place New York Giants in the division standings. 

Because of the delay between games, the Cowboys must assume the majority of Baltimore players on the reserve/COVID-19 list will be available by Tuesday evening.

"Schematically, all of us in the NFL, you are who you are conceptually. You're going to attack your opponent from a similar platform, but utilization of personnel is really the question that we'll obviously look at today when they play Pittsburgh," McCarthy added. "But I feel like our personnel department has done a really good job trying to track the personnel of who may be next week and so forth. That's really what the big question will be as we move forward. But our schematic preparation and how we plan on playing, that process, we're in Day 2 of that."