The Baltimore Ravens mobbed Tyler Loop on the field after he kicked a 56-yard field goal on the final play to defeat the Dallas Cowboys 34-31. The rookie’s hold on the job had appeared uncertain following a shaky preseason, but he delivered when the team needed a lift.
The victory ended a run of fourth-quarter breakdowns that had come to define the Ravens’ recent campaigns. Baltimore had built an early lead at 24-13 against Dallas before surrendering two touchdowns, falling behind 31-28 with the Cowboys still on the move. Lamar Jackson found Zay Flowers for a 27-yard pass with 7 seconds remaining, which set up Loop’s winning field goal.
“NFL football in general reflects life very eerily similar. Everything is cyclical,” safety Kyle Hamilton said. “What goes around comes around.”
Loop’s Kick Ends a Long Miss
Last season saw Loop make one of the more notable errors in recent NFL history. On the very last play of the regular season, he sent a 44-yard attempt wide of the mark to the right, and that kick would have secured Baltimore the division title. The Ravens were left out of the playoffs instead.
Baltimore signed kicker Jake Moody to its practice squad this season, but after Loop played well in the opening game, Moody was cut. The rookie then delivered another strong performance on Sunday.
“We have talked a lot this season about being the best when your best is needed,” Loop said. “There has been a lot of adversity. Been a lot of stuff that has happened between the end of last season and now. It has been a pleasure to have teammates like these guys and the rest of the locker room stand behind me and support me.”
Jackson and Flowers Connect Again
After missing time with a hamstring injury, Flowers came back and hauled in five catches for 84 yards during the game against Dallas. He also put together a 20-yard run. Across six quarters of play this season, he has posted five plays of at least 20 yards.
So far this year, the relationship between Jackson and Flowers has shifted frequently.
The Offensive Line Loses Two More
Coach Jesse Minter warned Monday that two of his centers could be sidelined for a while. Jovaughn Gwyn went down with an ankle injury, and Ethan Pocic suffered a knee injury. Both players were already missing time after center Danny Pinter was hurt before the season started.
Rookie guard Vega Ioane might have to be the solution at center for a little while. “He’ll prepare to potentially play that position,” Minter said. “We’ll figure out the best five guys to put out there for this particular week, as we may add a piece or two obviously.”
Baltimore’s offensive line problems kept the team from converting short-yardage running plays with any regularity, even when Derrick Henry was in the backfield. The issues did not cripple the offense, but they prevented the team from doing much of anything near the goal line.
Special Teams Shines
Keondre Jackson’s blocked field goal gave the Ravens a bright spot beyond Loop’s kick, even though the rest of the game pushed the defense to its limits.
Defense Struggles Late
The Cowboys trailed by 11, but they answered with two long touchdown drives late in the contest. Their drives spanned 67 and 96 yards. Despite the Ravens bolstering their pass rush with Trey Hendrickson and finally getting Nnamdi Madubuike back from his neck injury, Dallas still moved the ball at will.
Baltimore did manage a critical three-and-out at one point, but Dallas responded by driving 60 yards to tie the game with a field goal. Minter arrived in Baltimore with a defensive background, and he has plenty of work ahead of him on that side of the ball.
Injuries Linger
TE Mark Andrews (hand) and Hamilton (evaluated for a concussion) both returned to the game despite their injuries, even though the damage suffered by Pocic and Gwyn was more severe.
A Long History Against Dallas
No team has a better record against the Cowboys than the Ravens, who stand at 7-1 against them.
Next Game Against the Titans
This weekend, Baltimore hosts Henry’s former club, the Tennessee Titans, who remain winless.
Sunday’s win alters how people talk about Loop. Following the missed field goal that kept Baltimore out of the playoffs last season, he needed to prove himself all over again this year. The big kick he made on Sunday answered the doubts that had followed him into this season.
The group protecting the quarterback is the bigger worry. Losing two starters at center hits hard. Minter has to come up with solutions before the Titans game.
Sunday brought a strong performance from Baltimore’s special teams, and Keondre Jackson’s blocked field goal stood out as one of the key moments for the unit.
Sunday’s win over Dallas brought relief to a team that has long had trouble closing out games. Under coach John Harbaugh, the Ravens have let leads slip away again and again, and that history weighed on the players before Sunday.
With 7 seconds on the clock, Jackson threw to Flowers, and that pass set up Loop’s chance to close out the game. The rookie turned the opportunity into a win.
A winning record is what the Ravens take back to their home stadium, along with a quarterback who located his most trusted receiver in the game’s biggest moment. The offensive line issues are very much present, yet Loop’s kick demonstrates what this team can accomplish when everything comes together.
Source material: “Tyler Loop and the Ravens needed a win like that. Now they'll have to face major O-line injuries,” Yahoo Sports.
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