The Cowboys’ baffling special teams decision helped Ravens eke out a miracle win

The Dallas Cowboys vs. the Baltimore Ravens always felt like the game of the week in Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season. The two teams traded shots back and forth all afternoon in an international showdown in Rio de Janeiro, and the Brazilian fans were treated to an instant classic fourth quarter with a wild ending. The Ravens beat the Cowboys, 34-31, on a game-winning field goal by Tyler Loop as time expired. Loop’s 56-yard walk-off capped an unhinged final minute of play that saw the Cowboys settle for a game-tying field goal inside the 10-yard-line, then make a critical special teams mistake, then think they were headed to overtime before the refs put one more second on the clock to allow for Loop’s game-winning kick. The Cowboys were driving with a chance to win the game, but their playcalling got conservative inside the red zone to end a nine-play, 60-yard drive with a game-tying field goal. There were seven seconds left on the clock when the Cowboys kicked off to Baltimore, and for some reason Dallas opted for a touchback instead of letting a few seconds run off the clock during the return. That meant the ball was spotted at the Ravens’ 35-yard-line. On the next play, Lamar Jackson found Zay Flowers for a 27-yard pass. It appeared the time ran out, but the officials put one more second on the clock because they said Jackson got off a timeout in time. Loop kicked the game-winning field goal on the next play. Watch Jackson’s throw to Flowers here. Should the timeout have counted? LAMAR JACKSON FINDS A RECEIVER AND CALLS TIMEOUT WITH ONE SECOND LEFT!#NFL pic.twitter.com/lxPauAT6cg — TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 27, 2026 The officials determined Jackson called the timeout before time expired. It’s impossibly close, and I don’t know how the officials determined that Baltimore got it off in time. Loop kicked the game-winner on the next play: WALKOFF WINNER FOR TYLER LOOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MORE HIGHLIGHTS https://t.co/CLXPfDU5iM pic.twitter.com/jFcNrts8u4 — Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 27, 2026 Some Cowboys fans are having a hard time believing the timeout got through. It’s also easy to blame the touchback decision on the loss. Cowboys opting to kick a touchback instead of letting a few seconds drain off the clock ended up costing them. — Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) September 27, 2026 Sorry but that's just stupid by Dallas. You cannot do a touchback with :07 left when Baltimore still has a timeout. Teams are not realizing how valuable those touchbacks are for the offense. Deserved loss. — Mookie Alexander (@mookiealexander) September 27, 2026 What a way to lose for Dallas. The Cowboys fall to 1-2, while the Ravens improve to 2-1.

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