It is Day 79 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff. We are looking back at the 100 most iconic games in Dallas Cowboys history. The countdown will leads us right up to the opening game of 2026. Our look back doesn’t depend on just one criteria for our rankings. We take into consideration things like how big the game was for the organization, how memorable the game was, games that had unusual events take place, games that are a part of NFL lore, Cowboys firsts, and games where the Cowboys just plain
dominated. Variety is the spice of life and we have all different kind of Cowboys games to review. At the bottom, we’ll link each day of the countdown so you can go back and check out any you missed.
Welcome back Cowboys Nation to our 100-day countdown to kickoff and get to Day 79, where we revisit a Cowboys loss that still managed to produce one of the most jaw-dropping special-teams moments in franchise history. The Ravens came to Arlington desperate for their first win of the season, while the Cowboys were trying to rebound from an ugly home loss to the Saints. Instead, Baltimore bullied Dallas for three quarters, built a 28-6 lead, and then had to survive a frantic fourth-quarter Cowboys rally.
Sunday, September 22, 2024 — 4:25 p.m. ET
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Final Score: Baltimore Ravens 28, Dallas Cowboys 25
Baltimore quickly took control. Lamar Jackson had a nine-yard rush for the first score of the game then Derrick Henry scored from one yard out later in the first quarter. Then Jackson found Rashod Bateman for a 13-yard touchdown with 25 seconds left in the half, taking full control of the game. Brandon Aubrey added two field goals to the Cowboys score, but Dallas still trailed 21-6 at halftime. The Ravens then opened the third quarter with a 70-yard drive, capped by Henry’s 26-yard touchdown run, to make it 28-6.
That was when the Cowboys finally woke up. Dak Prescott scored on a one-yard sneak with 8:53 left in the fourth quarter, though the two-point try failed. Dallas then executed a perfect onside kick, recovered by C.J. Goodwin, and Prescott immediately turned that extra possession into a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Tolbert. Another failed two-point attempt kept the score at 28-18, but the stadium had life again.
After the defense forced a stop, Prescott led another long drive and hit KaVontae Turpin for a 16-yard touchdown with 2:53 remaining. Suddenly, a 22-point deficit was down to 28-25. Dallas had all the momentum, but the Ravens made the final winning play. On third-and-6 after the two-minute warning, Jackson found Zay Flowers for a first down, then later ran for another first down to let Baltimore drain the clock.
The box score told the story of why Dallas lost. Baltimore ran for 274 yards, with Henry hammering the Cowboys for 151 yards and two touchdowns and Jackson adding 87 rushing yards of his own. Prescott threw for 379 yards and two touchdowns, but much of that came while Dallas was chasing the game. CeeDee Lamb was held to four catches for 67 yards and lost a costly fumble, while Jake Ferguson led the Cowboys with 95 receiving yards.
So you ask, why does this game belong on the countdown? Well it was memorable even in defeat. It had a franchise-record kick, a near-impossible comeback, a perfectly executed onside recovery, and a finish that briefly made AT&T Stadium believe Dallas was about to steal one. This game gets on the countdown because although the Cowboys did not complete the comeback, Aubrey’s 65-yarder field goal in the game gave the day a permanent place in franchise lore. And any franchise record, even in defeat, is worth remembering.
Interesting Facts About the Game
Aubrey’s 65-yard field goal was the longest made field goal in Cowboys history. The previous franchise record was 63 yards, set by Brett Maher.
Countdown To Kickoff by day:
100, 99, 98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 91, 90, 89, 88, 87, 86, 85, 84, 83, 82, 81, 80
