Whether you blame personnel, injuries, or the field conditions at Maracanã Stadium, the Dallas Cowboys’ defense struggled to contain the Baltimore Ravens. Rookies Caleb Downs and Jaishawn Barham offered some bright spots, but those flashes weren’t consistent enough to win.
On the other side, the Cowboys offense blew opportunities in the redzone through poor execution and play-calling, while other mistakes plagued them between the 20s.
The loss drops Dallas to 1-2 with plenty still to address. The team
has a long flight home to begin sorting it out. Here are the five critical plays that sealed a gut-wrenching defeat in Brazil.
Lamar Jackson’s 21-yard run
The defensive collapse was foreshadowed early in the first quarter. After Dallas took a 10-0 lead, there was hope the Cowboys could keep the pressure on and force Baltimore into one-dimensional football. That never happened.
The lid came off right after Brandon Aubrey’s kickoff—one of two he sent out of bounds, both of which gifted the Ravens strong starting field position. Facing 1st-and-15, Lamar Jackson got around the edge on a zone-read with an escort block from Mark Andrews.
From that point, Baltimore used misdirection in the run game to create lanes and throwing windows while exposing the Cowboys’ eye discipline at the second level. The drive ended with a wildcat touchdown run by Derrick Henry, and many more points followed for the Ravens.
49-yard penalty on Markquese Bell
Penalties repeatedly altered the game’s complexion—some questionable, others clear. Clinging to a three-point lead, the Cowboys had a chance to force Baltimore behind the sticks. Instead, Lamar Jackson scrambled free and threw a slightly underthrown pass toward Devontez Walker. Markquese Bell arrived early in coverage and made illegal contact, drawing a massive 49-yard pass-interference flag.
It was the second such call of the drive (the first, on DaRon Bland, was highly debatable). Bell’s penalty proved especially costly as Derrick Henry scored on the next play.
Terence Steele’s hold takes away the first down
Dallas caught a tough break when a Jake Ferguson reception was ruled a fumble even though replay suggested he never had full control. Desperate to stop the bleeding, the Cowboys forced a stop on the ensuing Ravens possession. The offense was finally gaining traction.
On a critical 3rd-and-9, Dak Prescott appeared to hit George Pickens for a 20-yard gain—until a Terence Steele holding penalty wiped it out. Forced into a long field-goal try, Brandon Aubrey’s 59-yard attempt was blocked by Keondre Jackson, one of several special-teams miscues on the day. How much Steele contributed to the blocked kick remains unclear, but the sequence was painful for the veteran tackle.
Schoonmaker’s false start changes the play sheet
Dallas did a solid job managing the clock to set up one final possession in regulation. When CeeDee Lamb drew a pass-interference call at the two-yard line with 23 seconds left, the entire playbook opened up.
The Cowboys went aggressive with a fade to George Pickens that fell incomplete. On second down they could have handed the ball to Javonte Williams, who had run effectively all night. Instead, Luke Schoonmaker’s false start removed all doubt. Those five costly yards forced Dallas into a throw-only situation, handed Baltimore breathing room, and set up the final sequence.
Ran out of bodies
Failing to score the go-ahead touchdown on that last drive was disappointing. What no one expected was the defense completely disintegrating and allowing easy access to field-goal range.
Already depleted after losing multiple safeties and then watching Shavon Revel exit with a knee injury, the Cowboys generated no pressure on Lamar Jackson. He had all day to find Zay Flowers open for the 27-yard gain that set up Tyler Loop’s 56-yard game-winner. Jackson called timeout with one second remaining, and Loop delivered the dagger.
Think about the agonizing losses in Cowboys history—Jared Cook’s toe-drag, Matt Stafford’s fake spike into a quarterback sneak. This one ranks among the worst in the last 15 years, with injuries taking center stage at the bitter end. This one is going to hurt for a while.
