The Dallas Cowboys have lost their second game in the first three weeks in embarrassing fashion, as the Baltimore Ravens walked them off with a 56-yard field goal for a 34-31 win.
It was an exciting and overall crazy game throughout, but that can’t overshadow the ridiculous mistakes made by the Dallas defense and their Head Coach, Brian Schottenheimer. We saw a continuation of poor trends this week that cost them in the end.
Here, we’ll recap this Week 3 thriller from start to finish, in case you want to relive the ridiculousness we just experienced.
1st Quarter: Wild Opening in Brazil Starts Hot for Dallas
(10-7 Cowboys Lead after 1st Quarter)
Between the field conditions in Brazil and the Cowboys’ two very different performances in Weeks 1 and 2, we really had no idea what to expect from the start of this game.
What I do know is I didn’t expect an electric three-and-out forced by the Cowboys’ defense. We all know the unit has struggled mightily this season; even last week, despite allowing only 20 points, was a poor showing at times.
Alas, the Dallas D shut down the Ravens O to start the game, and Dak Prescott and Javonte Williams then brought the team down the field for a field goal inside the 10-yard line.
On the following drive, the defense somehow struck again, stuffing Derrick Henry on a fourth-and-one this time. On that one, it was Caleb Downs on the stop that gave the ball back to Prescott & Co.
That stop turned into a quick seven points, the first touchdown of the day for the Cowboys, as they benefited from a 15-yard facemask penalty that set them up downfield. It was Williams who ran in the score that made it a two-possession game.
Unfortunately, that was the end of the Dallas momentum for quite some time, as the Ravens flipped the switch and rolled into the end zone with ease. That made it a 10-7 game, which is how the quarter ended.
2nd Quarter: Momentum Flip Goes Terrible for Cowboys as Ravens Take Over
(17-13 Ravens Lead after 2nd Quarter)
The second quarter was really pretty disastrous for Dallas, even if the scorecard doesn’t show that.
Their first drive was a three-and-out punt that took just a minute off the clock, and Baltimore responded with an 89-yard touchdown drive. That one was Derrick Henry’s second touchdown in just over one quarter of work.
Dallas then took just four plays again to give the ball back to the Ravens, as they turned the ball over on downs with a Williams fumble on a fourth-down attempt.
The Ravens scored once again on that ensuing drive, though only with a field goal as Zay Flowers dropped a would-be first down near the end zone. That made the score 17-10 and marked a stretch of 17 unanswered points for Baltimore.
Prescott was able to respond on the following drive, which was, more or less, the last of the second quarter. It ended in a 38-yard Brandon Aubrey field goal, though in totality it was an impressive 11-play drive.
Dallas went into the half down 17-13 with the ball coming their way to start the third.
3rd Quarter: Highs and Very Low Lows for Cowboys After Halftime
(21–24 Ravens Lead after 3rd Quarter)
It was a really poor opening in the third quarter for Dallas, as they got cute with playcalling and pitched it to Jake Ferguson, who fumbled for the eighth time since 2024.
The disaster there was somewhat averted, as the Cowboys’ defense was able to come up with another three-and-out after the turnover. That drive was dominated by Quinnen Williams, who made two monster tackles to effectively end the drive.
Did Dallas take advantage of that stop? You bet they didn’t. Their next drive resulted in a 59-yard attempt from Aubrey, which was blocked. Essentially, that was a second consecutive turnover for the Cowboys.
The next two drives were touchdowns from both teams, as the Ravens came down in just four plays to punch another score in. That extended Baltimore’s lead to 24-13.
That following touchdown from Dallas was really the start of the momentum swinging back toward America’s Team. George Pickens made some crazy plays, and Ferguson redeemed his earlier mistake with a 19-yard score that cut the lead to 3. It was 24-21 headed into a fourth quarter that would live up to all expectations.
4th Quarter: Mayhem From Both Teams Ends in
This fourth quarter was absolutely nuts, with both teams coming up with huge moments.
It started with an eight-play drive from Baltimore that looked like it would be the end of the game for the Cowboys, as Henry initially scored his third touchdown, but it was overturned on the replay review. When he went for it again, Jaishawn Barham met him with violence for a -3 yard loss that flipped the ball back to Dallas.
Prescott, from that moment, decided to go into a whole different zone. He opened up the drive with a 49-yard bomb to CeeDee Lamb, and that resulted in a KaVontae Turpin touchdown to take the lead. In total, that was a 96-yard touchdown drive.
The next two drives were a pair of punts, as Barham stopped the Ravens again to get the ball back, and the Cowboys followed that with a three-and-out.
Baltimore swung right back with an 11-play touchdown drive to take a 31-28 lead, which set up a potential game-winning drive for the Cowboys offense. It was another impressive stretch for Prescott, but it fizzled out toward the end zone, and Dallas ultimately tied the game at 31-31 with seven seconds to play.
If you thought we were for sure going to OT, you wouldn’t be alone. We should have been headed there, but the Cowboys’ defense had different plans.
They allowed a 27-yard reception, and Baltimore called a timeout with two seconds to play. Tyler Loop then drilled a 56-yard game-winner at the buzzer to send Dallas back home in embarrassing fashion.
The Cowboys now face a tough and hungry 0-3 Texans team in Houston, and they’ll need to win that one to avoid falling to a putrid 1-3.
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