The story of the Cowboys' Week 3 game in Rio de Janeiro was headlined early by concerns over the playing surface at Maracanã Stadium. By the time it was over, all anyone could talk about was the barrage of baffling decisions made by the Dallas coaching staff that cost them the game and gave Baltimore a dramatic 34-31 walk-off win.
In between, though, there were plenty of subplots that also helped decide the day.
Christian Parker's defense is still very much a work in progress, as evidenced by low sack totals, high yardages allowed, and a third-down stop rate that is worst in the NFL.
Offensively, the Cowboys had trouble moving the chains despite racking up over 400 total yards. Javonte Williams appears to have gotten himself back on track after
a slow start, but Jake Ferguson could be falling back into an old and troubling habit.
Here's a closer look at the Cowboys' Week 3 heartbreaker, by the numbers you may not have keeping track of.
0: Sacks by Cowboys defense
For the second straight week, the Cowboys defense was unable to bring down the opposing quarterback behind the line of scrimmage a single time. Their season total of two sacks ranks a woeful 30th in the NFL. What makes it all the more maddening is that Dallas is solidly in the middle of the pack leaguewide in blitz percentage as well as QB hurries and knockdowns. They're getting close, they're just not getting home. But only one team has given up more sacks than the Texans, so maybe this stat will start to change in Week 4.
1: Fumbles by Jake Ferguson
"I'm surprised by it, Jim. I just don't think Jake Ferguson has possession of that football firmly enough ... I think it's incomplete, personally." - @GeneSteratore pic.twitter.com/z4YbtueDxE
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 27, 2026
The Cowboys turned the ball over early in the third quarter on what was credited to Ferguson as a fumble. Replays had many- including CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore- believing it should have been ruled an incomplete shovel pass, but it goes in the books as Ferguson's first fumble of the season. But could it be the rebirth of a troubling and recurring issue for the tight end? Ferguson has now put the ball on the ground eight times since the start of the 2024 season, a ridiculous rate of one fumble per 18.9 touches. Let's hope both the strange play call and Ferguson's relapse into his fumbling ways were just one-time anomalies.
4.9: Average rushing yards allowed per carry
Sure, the Cowboys defense held Derrick Henry to under 90 yards on the ground. But they also let Lamar Jackson go for 8.3 yards a pop, allowed Justice Hill to average 6.6, and gave up a 20-yard carry to Zay Flowers. The Ravens' 4.9 average for the game is right in line with what the Dallas defense has been letting their opponents do every week in 2026; the Cowboys' season average of 5.0 yards allowed per carry ranks 29th in the NFL. The Texans and their 30th-ranked ground game could be coming at an ideal time for Dallas.
9.3: Average yards allowed by Cowboys defense per pass play
Look at how Ravens OC Declan Doyle puts the Cowboys' safeties - and Alijah Clark (11) in particular - in conflict.
— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) September 28, 2026
While they're busy making sure they don't let up the big play, Rashod Bateman is running free over the middle for 31 yards. pic.twitter.com/Ltwm6KPFm8
Jackson completed just 15 passes on Sunday but did 186 yards and two touchdowns worth of damage. Four of his throws went for 20 yards or more. Those numbers are indicative of what the Cowboys secondary has been giving up all season. Their 2026 average of 9.1 yards allowed per pass attempt is fifth-worst in the NFL. Injuries have already taken a harsh toll on the Dallas secondary, with Malik Hooker, Cobie Durant, P.J. Locke, and Jalen Thompson all having missed time over just three weeks. The young and inexperienced guys scrambling to play coverage often look lost, playing soft and missing tackles. If it wasn't obvious before Sunday, the word is out now: the Cowboys are susceptible to the pass.
33.3%: Ravens' 3rd-down conversion percentage
This number has gone down each game for the Cowboys over three weeks, meaning the defense is doing progressively better in getting themselves off the field on third downs. Parker's unit allowed Baltimore just three conversions on nine third-down plays. While that's trending in the right direction and will hopefully continue, a horrible Week 1 in the category and a very shaky Week 2 still leave Dallas ranked as the softest third-down defense in the league.
38.5%: Cowboys' 3rd-down conversion percentage
ROQUAN SMITH GOES UNTOUCHED FOR THE SACK#NFL #Ravens #RavensFlock #Cowboys #DallasCowboys #BALvsDAL pic.twitter.com/dYV6QgzgWb
— Dom (@ZeroChillSports) September 27, 2026
Prescott & Co. had unusual difficulty converting their own third downs, too, going just 5-of-13 on the day. Of course, no third-down failure was more glaring than that ill-fated throwaway from the 5-yard-line with 14 seconds to play, but there were plenty of other missed opportunities to move the chains and extend a drive. (The sack that stalled their opening possession inside the Ravens 10, backed Dallas up, and cost them four early points comes to mind.) The 38.5% conversion rate was a far cry from the offense's normal efficiency; the Cowboys currently rank second in the NFL on third down.
98: Rushing yards from Javonte Williams
Williams started sluggishly in Weeks 1 and 2, but his 98 yards in Rio more than doubled his season yardage total in one afternoon. He now sits just outside the league's top 20, five yards behind Saquon Barkley and three yards ahead of Christian McCaffrey. Sunday's output was his highest since Week 7 of last season and just his fourth time topping 95 yards since joining the Cowboys. Williams and Prescott both commented on the offense's collective desire to get the ground attack rolling; maybe this was the jump start it needed.
Todd is on X at @ToddBrock24f7. Also, follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: By the Numbers: Cowboys run game rebounds, defense still too soft in loss to Ravens
