John Harbaugh 'So Proud' of Ravens Rookie DB

The Baltimore Ravens rookie had one of the biggest plays of the game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins (2) strips the ball away from Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) during the second quarter at AT&T Stadium. / Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

It was out of the frying pan and into the fire for Baltimore Ravens rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins.

Wiggins returned to the gridiron after being out in Week 2 due to a neck injury and a concussion he suffered in a car accident. Among his tall tasks was covering Dallas Cowboys All-Pro receiver CeeDee Lamb in critical situations at certain throughout the game.

Wiggins responded by having arguably had the biggest defensive play of the game, stripping Lamb in the red zone on first and goal from the 19-yard line with 14:34 left in the first half and forcing a turnover after the fumble was recovered by safety Marcus Williams. Turnovers are critical in any game, let alone one against a high-powered offense on the road.

Baltimore went on to win 28-25 on Sunday at AT&T Stadium, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a more impactful play on defense in a three-point game than Wiggins forcing a fumble when Dallas was all but guaranteed at least a field goal.

"Nate [Wiggins] competed really hard out there," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. "That was a learning game for Nate, probably. He had some really good plays – he knocked that ball out down there [in the red zone when the Cowboys were] going in [to try and score] – that was a massive play for us. I'm so proud of him for that."

The 2024 first-round pick got the first start of his career and was on the field for 38 plays on defense, accounting for 48 percent of the team's snaps. Wiggins' 38 snaps more than doubled his playing time in Week 1 when he played just 17 plays, which was 31 percent of the defense's snaps.

It was far from perfect for Wiggins against the Cowboys, as he was flagged three times, drawing penalties for pass interference, holding and illegal hands to the face. That is often the life of a rookie defensive back, though, and Wiggins is tasked with learning on the fly and having to improve as the season progresses.

Holding his own against Lamb is nothing to scoff at for the first-year cornerback, and him not backing down in that situation epitomized what Harbaugh loves about Wiggins.

"Nate's a competitor; he's tough; he wants to be good," Harbaugh said. "I love everything about who he is and where he's going as a player."

Baltimore (1-2) will look to build on its first win of the season when it hosts the undefeated Buffalo Bills (3-0) on Sunday Night Football at 8:20 p.m. ET at M&T Bank Stadium.

Make sure you bookmark Baltimore Ravens on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

• Ravens Coach Explains Mark Andrews' Lack of Playing Time
• Ravens Finally Get Improvement in Crucial Area
• Ravens Lineman Has Much Needed Bounce Back Game
  
• Ravens HC Identifies Justin Tucker's Issue
• Even ‘King’ Derrick Henry Didn’t Surprise Ravens QB