Plagued by fourth-quarter collapses, the Baltimore Ravens (2-1) finally break through to beat the Dallas Cowboys (1-2) 34-31.
Christ the Redeemer looms over Maracanã Stadium, making it the perfect place to exorcise demons. Since 2019, Baltimore has the most losses when leading by double digits, and Sunday afternoon’s game seemed like it was going to be added to the tally.
It wasn’t always pretty, but Baltimore made the most of their chances. Their offense started slow with a three-and-out and a turnover on downs on their first two possessions, which turned into a 10-0 deficit. Lamar Jackson took matters into his own hands to ignite the offense with a 21-yard run to start their third drive that ended with the first of Derrick Henry’s two touchdowns in his 89 yard day.
The Ravens’ 24-3 run didn’t go unanswered. Dak Prescott and the Dallas passing game stormed all the way back. Prescott finished with 276 yards and one touchdown, with CeeDee Lamb hauling in seven catches for 112 yards, and George Pickens adding 82 yards.
The Cowboys took a four-point lead with under ten minutes left in the game; all too familiar territory for the Ravens. Another lead squandered, and momentum handed away. They were able to regain the lead with a two-yard touchdown reception by rookie tight end Matthew Hibner, but promptly let the Cowboys march down to the goal line on their ensuing drive.
The Ravens’ defense forcing a game-tying field goal saved just enough time to have options. With seven seconds left, Jackson found Zay Flowers downfield to put them in range with one second left. The last time Tyler Loop had a kick like this, he pushed it wide right to miss the playoffs. Tonight, he buried a 56-yard kick to squash that nightmare.
“It’s funny how life works,” Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said. “The amount of flak that [Loop] faced, for that moment to happen like that was pretty cool.”
Baltimore looks to carry this momentum over into next week at home versus the 0-3 Titans, while Dallas will have to find a way to bounce back on the road against the Texans.
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