Lamar Jackson threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Zay Flowers with one second left, and Tyler Loop kicked the game-winner as the Ravens beat the Cowboys 34-31 in Rio de Janeiro. The comeback capped a wild finish at the famed Maracanã Stadium, with Baltimore players lifting Loop on their shoulders in celebration.
The win ended a long streak of late-game heartbreak for the Ravens. Since 2022, they had lost 10 games in which they led by eight or more points in the second half, most in the NFL. This one finally flipped the script.
Jackson’s Final Drive
On the first play of the final drive, Jackson scrambled for 17 yards, converted a third-and-10 to Mark Andrews, and connected with Flowers for 14 yards to move the chains twice. He then hit rookie Matthew Hibner for a touchdown, giving Baltimore the lead.
Jackson delivered efficiently when the pressure was on. He completed 5 of 6 passes for 67 yards and a touchdown, and added 17 yards rushing on the final two possessions. The numbers appear solid at first glance, but they were truly excellent given the circumstances in which they came.
The Defense Responds
For years, the Ravens defense had been the one doing the haunting in close games, a force that seemed to show up at the worst possible moments for the team. Sunday marked the end of that run.
The Cowboys narrowed Baltimore’s lead to three points, then the Ravens went on a long drive. But when it came to fourth-and-goal from the Dallas 1-yard line, Derrick Henry was stopped short. That stop is what set up the comeback.
The Cowboys moved 96 yards across seven plays, with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb starting the drive with a 49-yard pass and KaVontae Turpin closing it with a 9-yard touchdown. The Ravens fell behind after holding a lead as high as 11.
Baltimore kept the damage to a field goal by breaking up a pass from George Pickens. Nate Wiggins made the breakup.
Jesse Minter commented on his defense, saying “Major credit to those guys straining all the way to the end,”.
The Timeout Situation
The Ravens controlled the ball with seven seconds on the clock from the 35-yard line. Minter explained that with six seconds remaining instead, they likely would have knelt down and let the game go into overtime.
Week 3 numbers show that no quarterback except Brock Purdy finished above Jackson in expected points added per dropback, and those figures don’t tell the whole story of how well he played.
Seven was enough. In training camp, Jackson had drilled the “get down, timeout situation” over and over again. As soon as Flowers went down, Ravens players, coaches and fans all signaled for timeout. The umpire added one second back to the clock. Loop delivered.
According to ESPN Research, the drive was the fastest game-winning sequence after a kickoff ever recorded.
The Call That Went Against the Ravens
The game featured a controversial call that went against the Ravens.
The Ravens were defeated last week after the officials determined that Tyler Shough’s carry had broken the plane on fourth-and-goal, despite video proof suggesting otherwise. Now they face a danger that resembles that previous call.
A flag was thrown on Nate Wiggins for pass interference during a play where Lamb appeared to interfere with Wiggins’ opportunity to intercept the ball. The Ravens defense then kept the damage limited to a field goal.
A Legacy Born Again
Loop was given a message from Jackson right after the game ended. The coach had already established the mood for the celebration, and his words to Loop were “Your legacy starts now.”.
The message matched a player whose name had become tied to losing in the final moments of a contest.
A single victory in a 17-game campaign can serve two purposes: it marks a baby step, just one win in an entire season, while also standing as a major milestone in defeating a foe like this one, possibly putting the boogeyman behind us for good.
“It’s not the best nor the biggest regular-season win the Ravens have had recently, but it’s arguably the most important for so many reasons: overcoming adversity, coming up clutch, being their best when their best was required,” Minter said.
This victory carries significance beyond what the standings show.
The Road Back
For years, the Ravens had lived with these moments. It was two hundred and sixty-six days ago that Jackson delivered late-game heroics, only to see Tyler Loop miss right. The Steelers advanced to the playoffs, while the Ravens headed home.
Jackson, freezing and disbelieving, exited quietly.
“We did all that to come up short,” Jackson said, trying to hide his true emotions with a smile. “Devastating. Furious…. I thought we had it in the bag. I don’t know what else we can do.”
They now understand their task. They returned again and again, persisted with their efforts, placed themselves in advantageous situations, and waited for those crushing defeats to turn into triumphant victories.
Sunday, that was the case.
“We did all that to come up short,” Jackson said, trying to hide his true emotions with a smile. “Devastating. Furious…. I thought we had it in the bag. I don’t know what else we can do.”
That victory expelled the ghosts. It was arguably the most crucial for so many reasons: overcoming adversity, coming up clutch, being their best when their best was required. The tally in the win column does not capture what this win actually meant.
| Situation | Result |
|---|---|
| Ravens leading by eight or more in second half | Lost 10 times since 2022, most in NFL |
| Ravens trailing after leading by 11 | Won 34-31 |
| Expected points added per dropback, Week 3 | Jackson: only Brock Purdy higher |
| Game-winning drive (after kickoff) | Quickest on record, per ESPN Research |
Source material: “Lamar Jackson, Tyler Loop help Ravens exorcise demons, earn most important regular-season win in recent memory,” CBS Sports.
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