Ravens 34, Cowboys 31: Tyler Loop Wins Rio Thriller
Baltimore turned seven seconds into a Rio memory. Lamar Jackson hit Zay Flowers for 27 yards, called timeout with one second left, and Tyler Loop drilled a 56 yard field goal as time expired to beat Dallas 34 to 31 at Maracanã Stadium. The Ravens moved to 2 and 1. The Cowboys fell to 1 and 2 after tying the game with seven seconds remaining and watching overtime disappear on one final snap.
The official NFL game center confirms Baltimore's quarter scoring of 7, 10, 7 and 10 and Dallas' 10, 3, 8 and 10. The Football Nation game preview projected a Baltimore win in a one possession shootout. The route was wilder than the forecast, but the underlying edge held: Baltimore's run game and one extra possession quality play outweighed Dallas' advantage in total yards.
Seven seconds from overtime to history
Dallas appeared to have completed the escape. Nate Wiggins was flagged for pass interference in the end zone with 23 seconds left, but a Cowboys false start pushed the ball back and Baltimore kept Dallas out of the end zone. Brandon Aubrey's 23 yard field goal tied the game at 31 with seven seconds remaining. A touchback gave Baltimore the ball without time bleeding off the clock. Jackson then found Flowers downfield and immediately signaled for timeout. Loop's winner slipped inside the left upright as the clock reached zero.
The official Ravens recap called the finish a seven second drive. That detail matters because it explains why the final play was not merely a long kick. Jackson had to identify the coverage, deliver the ball, recognize the receiver was down and secure the timeout before the final second vanished. Loop still had to convert from 56 yards under maximum pressure. Baltimore executed every link of that chain.
Ravens vs. Cowboys final stats
Final team stat | Ravens | Cowboys |
|---|---|---|
First downs | 23 | 27 |
Total yards | 378 | 415 |
Rushing yards | 192 | 148 |
Net passing yards | 186 | 267 |
Third down | 3 of 9 | 5 of 13 |
Fourth down | 0 of 2 | 1 of 2 |
Red zone | 4 of 6 | 3 of 5 |
Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
Time of possession | 29:22 | 30:38 |
Sources: the NFL game center, the official Ravens game recap, the Cowboys big play tracker and the CBS Sports box score. Dallas led total yards 415 to 378 and first downs 27 to 23, but Baltimore won the turnover margin 1 to 0, rushed for 192 yards and scored touchdowns on four of six red zone trips.
Dallas surged, but Baltimore kept finding answers
Dallas controlled the opening stretch. Aubrey opened the scoring with a 28 yard field goal, and Javonte Williams followed with a 2 yard touchdown after rookie safety Caleb Downs stopped Derrick Henry on fourth down in Baltimore territory. The Cowboys led 10 to 0 before Henry answered with touchdown runs of 4 and 3 yards. Loop's 27 yard field goal completed a 17 point Baltimore run, and Aubrey's 38 yarder made it 17 to 13 at halftime.
The first major swing after halftime came on special teams. With Dallas attempting a 59 yard field goal, Keondre Jackson came through untouched and blocked Aubrey's kick. Four plays later, Jackson hit Chris Moore for a 4 yard touchdown and a 24 to 13 lead. Dallas responded through Dak Prescott, Jake Ferguson and CeeDee Lamb. Prescott found Ferguson for a 19 yard score, then Lamb secured the two point conversion to cut the deficit to three.
Dallas was not finished. Jaishawn Barham and Donovan Ezeiruaku stopped Henry on fourth and goal, and the Cowboys drove 96 yards the other way. Prescott's 49 yard completion to Lamb changed the field, while KaVontae Turpin's 9 yard touchdown run put Dallas ahead 28 to 24. That sequence looked like the winning reversal until Baltimore answered with an 11 play, 69 yard drive. Jackson found rookie tight end Matt Hibner for a 2 yard touchdown with 1:30 left.
Prescott finished 25 of 40 for 276 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Lamb caught seven of eight targets for 112 yards, while George Pickens caught seven of 11 for 82. Williams added 98 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Those numbers support the same passing structure seen in Dallas' Week 2 win over Washington. The Cowboys moved the ball well enough to win, but the fumble, blocked kick and goal line inefficiency erased their yardage edge.
The hidden difference: Baltimore protected the football
The only turnover belonged to Dallas. Travis Jones forced a fumble from Ferguson on a shovel pass, and Trenton Simpson recovered. Baltimore scored no immediate touchdown from that takeaway, but the possession mattered in a game decided on the final snap. The Ravens did not throw an interception or lose a fumble. They also survived two failed fourth down attempts, including the goal line stop that fueled Dallas' fourth quarter lead.
Baltimore's line on offense was efficient rather than explosive through the air. Jackson completed 15 of 20 passes for 186 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He added 50 rushing yards on six carries. Henry carried 26 times for 89 yards and two touchdowns, while Justice Hill supplied 33 yards on five attempts. Flowers led the receiving group with five catches for 84 yards, including the 27 yard gain that created the winning kick.
Henry also passed Eric Dickerson for ninth on the NFL's career rushing list and set the Ravens franchise record for career rushing touchdowns, according to the team's official recap. It was the kind of milestone game that can be lost beneath the final sequence, but Baltimore's 192 rushing yards created the platform for that finish.
Fantasy football takeaways
Jackson remains a weekly lineup anchor because he combined 186 passing yards, two passing scores and 50 rushing yards without a turnover. Henry's volume and two touchdowns reinforced his elite role even though Dallas stuffed him twice on critical fourth downs. Flowers returned from a hamstring issue and immediately led Baltimore in catches and yards. He should return to primary wide receiver status, while Rashod Bateman's two catches for 37 yards make him more matchup dependent than the Week 3 sleepers case suggested.
For Dallas, Lamb's 112 yards confirm that the target ceiling remains intact. Pickens drew a team high 11 targets and turned them into 82 yards, a strong usage signal despite the lack of a touchdown. Williams handled 19 of Dallas' 30 rushes and reached 98 yards with a score. Ferguson's touchdown helped, but his lost fumble is a real game level mistake rather than a reason to abandon a tight end who continues to earn red zone work.
Injuries and what comes next
Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews left in the first half with a hand issue but returned. Dallas safety Jalen Thompson left with a hamstring injury. Safety Markquese Bell left because of dehydration and returned. Those are the confirmed in game updates from the independent recap; return estimates would be speculation. The next checkpoint is each club's first Week 4 practice report, tracked alongside Football Nation's Week 3 injury report.
Baltimore returns home to face Tennessee. Dallas travels to Houston. The Ravens are now 2 and 1 and tied in the AFC North standings shown by the NFL game center. The Cowboys are 1 and 2 and must convert offensive production into cleaner winning sequences. The development of Dallas' supporting cast, including recently extended players covered in Football Nation's Spann Ford and Flournoy analysis matters because Prescott needed multiple secondary targets on the final two drives.
Football Nation verdict
Baltimore won because it was steadier in the plays that cannot be replaced. Dallas gained more yards and owned more possession, but the Ravens protected the football, blocked a long field goal, produced four red zone touchdowns and executed a 27 yard completion plus timeout in seven seconds. The Cowboys proved they can trade punches with a contender. The Ravens proved they could finish the final one.
The larger roster lesson is familiar from Football Nation's Maxx Crosby trade report: splash personnel decisions draw attention, but situational execution decides games. Rio delivered a classic because both offenses recovered from failure. Baltimore leaves with the win because its special teams and quarterback were perfect when one mistake would have ended the night.
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