International football does better on TV when it can be played in windows that traditionally get bigger numbers. The Week 3 Ravens-Cowboys game in Brazil landed in the best window yet for any international game — 4:25 p.m. ET on a Sunday afternoon.
And it delivered. CBS has announced that 24.9 million watched the 34-31 thriller. It’s the biggest audience yet for any NFL game not played in the U.S.
Frankly, we would have expected an even larger number. It’s the Cowboys, for crying out loud. America’s team goes to South America. Throw in a two-time MVP in Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and make it a high-scoring game that went down to the wire, and it feels like it should have been closer to 30 million than 25 million.
The NFL’s annual early-morning European games begin this weekend, witha whopping six 9:30 a.m. ET kickoffs in seven weeks. (So much for the pregame shows.)
Ravens Clips
The Ravens-Cowboys game at Maracanå Stadium in Rio de Janeiro raised red flags regarding the quality of the field. The NFL mobilized to make the playing surface satisfactory for the game.
By all appearances, the turf wasn’t an issue. (There was much more slipping and sliding in Denver, after it rained during the Rams-Broncos game.) The passing grade on a test that never should be failed has understandably led to limited coverage of the fact that the field wasn’t a cluster of something other than grass.
Yes, there are some stories out there declaring that the field wasn’t an issue. The issue should never be an issue. The field is like a long snapper. It should only be noticed when it’s not doing its job properly, and there should never be a nagging concern that the long snapper will do anything other than deliver the ball accurately and reliably.
That said, Cowboys safety Caleb Downs had some criticism for the surface.
“It was good at the beginning of the game, but at the end of the game it was pretty much just dirt out there,” Downs said, via Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News. “I can’t make excuses about it, so we still have to go and do our jobs.”
One source on the scene called the field “aesthetically unappealing,” comparing it to a “patchy lawn.” The source said it posed no significant health risks to the players, but that it was below the standard that the NFL should expect for its games.
That’s the bottom line. The NFL has set a high bar for itself. The field on Sunday fell short of it. While no players were injured because of it and it didn’t affect the integrity of the game, concerns about the quality of the field should never become a story. Because the quality of an NFL playing field should never be in doubt.
The Cowboys had the Ravens dead to right. Down three, the Cowboys reached the Baltimore 2 on a questionable pass-interference penalty with 23 seconds remaining. Dallas even had a final timeout in its pocket.
The Cowboys ended up kicking a tying field goal, and then lost in regulation.
“Yeah, we thought we were going to score a touchdown,” Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “We thought we were going to score a touchdown and move the ball really well down there. We’ve got to find a way to punch it in. I’ve got to call some better plays to get it in.”
Time management and game management issues cost the Cowboys in the 34-31 loss, which was decided on Tyler Loop’s field goal on the final play.
Prescott threw incomplete on a fade to George Pickens on first down from the 2 before tight end Luke Schoonmaker was called for a false start.
“It can’t happen,” Schottenheimer said. “Schoony knows that. At the end of the day, we were down there low. I liked the call that we had. But you move us back. It definitely hurts, because there’s a couple of things that we had that we felt really good about down there low.
“No one coached or played a perfect game tonight, and unfortunately, that was a big play in the game — just like some of the mistakes I made.”
On second down from the Baltimore 7, Dak Prescott scrambled for 2 yards and the Cowboys called a timeout with 14 seconds left. That left too much time for the Ravens, because on third-and-goal from the 5, Prescott hurriedly threw the ball away.
Schottenheimer took the blame for the third-down play.
“We called a quick out,” Schottenheimer said. “I probably overcoached Dak on that one, because we had the points. And I probably overcoached him on that, because it had to go to — with the time, no timeouts — it had to go to GP [Pickens] or [Prescott had to] throw it away. . . . That’s on me. I overcoached him.”
Pickens indeed came back to the pylon and was open for what likely would have been the winning touchdown. Prescott confirmed he was throwing it away and said he’d like it back.
“I probably should’ve just sat on it a little bit longer. Sank on my back foot and just put it on that front pylon,” Prescott said. “Definitely should have.”
Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey kicked a 23-yard field goal with seven seconds left to tie it, and the Cowboys kept tripping over their own feet. They had Aubrey boot the kickoff into the end zone, eating no time and allowing the Ravens to start at their own 35.
Aubrey had kicked two kickoffs out of bounds earlier in the game, allowing the Ravens to start at their own 40-yard line.
“We felt like, let’s boom it through, put them out there, make them throw the ball short, and we’ll be fine,” Schottenheimer said. “Play for overtime. That’s what the plan was.”
Instead, the Cowboys played man defense instead of an umbrella defense, a decision NBC analyst Mike Tomlin called “negligent.” Lamar Jackson completed a 27-yard pass to Zay Flowers in the middle of the field to the Dallas 38 and called timeout with one second left, allowing Loop to end the game.
“I liked the [defensive] call,” Schottenheimer said. “We wanted to stay sticky. But at the end of the day, they ran two ins. It’s actually a play we run quite a bit of. The bottom line is you’ve got to make the ball go to the first one, not the layer that they hit to Zay Flowers. That’s where we have to be better.”
The Cowboys had a 77.5 percent chance of winning with 20 seconds remaining, according to ESPN analytics. They lost anyway, and they have only themselves to blame.
Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley did not play in Sunday’s 34-31 victory over the Cowboys because of a toe injury. He was expected to be a game-time decision, but the Ravens ruled him out on Friday.
Coach Jesse Minter said Monday that Stanley could return this week.
“I do think Ronnie [is closer to returning],” Minter said, via video from the team. “I think it was a good opportunity to allow this to be something that he might not have to deal with just over and over again. That it gave it a chance to hopefully get right. I think he’ll be a lot closer this week to being able to push back.”
Stanley, an 11-year veteran, missed only one game over the past two seasons.
Carson Vinson started in Stanley’s stead, and Minter said he thought Vinson “played really well.”
The Ravens saw two centers leave Sunday’s win over the Cowboys with injuries and head coach Jesse Minter said on Monday that they don’t expect to have either one of them back in the lineup for quite a while.
Minter said that both Jovaughn Gwyn and Ethan Pocic have long-term injuries. Gwyn started the game and left with an ankle injury. Pocic had to depart with a knee injury.
First-round pick Vega Ioane moved from right guard to center after Pocic’s injury and Minter said that he will prepare to man the position against the Titans in Week 4. Andrew Vorhees closed out the game at guard.
Minter said the team will also look for potential additions at center and the overall health of their offensive line — left tackle Ronnie Stanley didn’t play Sunday — means they’ll likely have to add depth in one way or another in the coming days.
Ravens kicker Tyler Loop’s missed field goal at the end of the final regular season game of the 2025 season kept Baltimore out of the playoffs and it was on the mind of many as Sunday’s game against the Cowboys in Rio reached its final moments.
After the Cowboys tied the score at 31 with seven seconds left, the Ravens got the ball at their 35 and quarterback Lamar Jackson found Zay Flowers for a 27-yard gain on a play that concluded with just enough slivers of time left on the clock for Baltimore to call timeout. It set up a 56-yard field goal try for Loop, who set a career high when he knocked it through the uprights to a raucous response from Jackson and the rest of his teammates.
“I was saying on the sideline, ‘Your legacy starting now,’ because I feel like he has been facing adversity,” Jackson said, via the team’s website. “I said, ‘What a way to start your legacy in Brazil,’ and he finished the rest. He did it. Shout out to special teams, shout out to Loop.”
The Maracaña has seen a lot of memorable kicks over the years, but none has meant more to the Ravens than the one that ended the NFL’s first visit to the venerable stadium.
In one of the most exciting games of the season, the Ravens pulled out a miraculous 34-31 victory over the Cowboys on the final play in Brazil.
Kicker Tyler Loop, who grew up in the Dallas area and had to live the offseason with a missed kick that ultimately kept the Ravens out of the playoffs, nailed a 56-yarder with no time left.
After a touchback on the kickoff, the Ravens got the ball back with only seven seconds left. But Lamar Jackson worked his magic, connecting with Zay Flowers for a 27-yard gain to the Cowboys 38. The Ravens got a timeout with one second left.
It was the third lead change in the final two minutes and improved the Ravens’ record to 2-1 and dropped the Cowboys to 1-2.
First, Ravens rookie tight end Matt Hibner scored on a 2-yard pass from Jackson on third down to give Baltimore a 31-28 lead. It was too much time for Dak Prescott and the Cowboys.
Dallas got a gift from the officials on the nine-play, 60-yard drive.
Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins was in position for an interception with 23 seconds left, but Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb hooked Wiggins’ arm. The CBS crew argued that it should have been offensive pass interference. Instead, officials threw the flag on Wiggins, giving the Cowboys the ball at the 2.
A false start on tight end Luke Schoonmaker kept the Cowboys from a game-winning touchdown with two Prescott incompletions sandwiched between a 2-yard scramble.
Brandon Aubrey kicked a chip-shot, 23-yard field goal with seven seconds left. That proved too much time for Jackson and the Ravens.
The Cowboys stopped the Ravens twice on fourth down, and the Ravens stopped the Cowboys once on fourth down. The Cowboys had a field goal blocked and lost a controversial fumble that looked like it might have been an incompletion.
The Cowboys outgained the Ravens 415 to 378 yards.
Jackson was 15-of-20 for 186 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 50 yards on six carries. Zay Flowers catching five passes for 84 yards. Derrick Henry rushed for 89 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries.
Prescott went 25-of-40 for 276 yards and a touchdown. Lamb caught seven passes for 112 yards and George Pickens added seven receptions for 82 yards. Javonte Williams rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.
Both teams had a number of significant injuries.
The Ravens lost their top two centers late in the game, with both carted to the training room. The absences of Jovaughn Gwyn (ankle) and Ethan Pocic (knee) forced rookie right guard Olaivavega Ioane to move to center.
The Cowboys were dead in the water, thisclose to being down 10 points. But their beleaguered defense rose up when the Cowboys needed it most.
Rookie Jaishawn Barham and defensive tackle Otito Ogbonnia teamed up to keep Derrick Henry out of the end zone on a third-and-goal run from the 2. The play was initially ruled a touchdown but reversed on replay review.
The Ravens went for it on fourth down, and Braham met Henry in the backfield for a 3-yard loss.
The Cowboys needed only seven plays to go 96 yards, with KaVontae Turpin running it in from the 9. They have scored the last 15 points to take a 28-24 lead.
The Ravens led 24-13 before Jake Ferguson’s 19-yard touchdown reception.
Dak Prescott is 22-of-33 for 240 yards and a touchdown, with CeeDee Lamb catching six passes for 98 yards. George Pickens has seven receptions for 82 yards.
Javontae Williams has 19 carries for 98 yards and a touchdown.
The Ravens lead the Cowboys 24-21 late in the third quarter.
Lamar Jackson found Chris Moore in the back of the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown with 3:44 remaining in the third quarter for a 24-13 Baltimore lead.
Ravens safety Keondre Jackson blocked Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey’s 59-yard field goal try, and Baltimore needed only four plays to go 51 yards. Derrick Henry had a 29-yard run, Justice Hill an 11-yard run and Jackson a 12-yard run before Moore’s touchdown reception.
Jackson is 7-of-11 for 62 yards and a touchdown and has three carries for 34 yards. Henry has 16 carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns.
But Dallas answered with a six-play, 67-yard drive. Tight end Jake Ferguson capped it with a 19-yard touchdown catch from Dak Prescott, who is 19-of-29 for 156 yards. CeeDee Lamb caught Prescott’s pass in the end zone on the 2-point conversion.
The Cowboys are out of safeties after the departures of Jalen Thompson and Markquese Bell. Thompson is ruled out with a hamstring injury, and Bell is getting an IV for dehydration and his return is questionable.
The Cowboys were already without safeties Malik Hooker (broken forearm) and P.J. Locke (torn plantar fascia). Alijah Clark replaced Thompson, and cornerback Reddy Steward is in at nickel and rookie Caleb Downs will move back to safety.
The Ravens lead the Cowboys 17-13 at halftime in Brazil.
Dallas took a 10-0 lead on their first two drives. After forcing a three-and-out by the Ravens to start, the Cowboys went 57 yards before stalling at the Baltimore 10 on Roquan Smith’s sack of Dak Prescott. They settled for Brandon Aubrey’s 28-yard field goal.
Cowboys rookie safety Caleb Downs stopped Derrick Henry on a fourth-and-1 at the Baltimore 30, and Dallas scored in five plays with Javonte Williams running it in from the 2.
Henry and the Ravens got it going, though, scoring the next 17 points.
The running back scored on 4- and 3-yard runs, and Tyler Loop kicked a 27-yard field goal after the Ravens stalled at the Dallas 9.
Aubrey kicked a 38-yard field goal with 18 seconds left in the half for the final points of the first 30 minutes.
The Ravens have outgained the Cowboys 149 to 142 yards, and both teams have turned it over on downs in their own territory, leading to points for the other team.
Lamar Jackson is 6-of-9 for only 58 yards, with Zay Flowers catching two passes for 29 yards. Henry has 47 yards on 13 carries.
Dak Prescott is 11-of-17 for only 73 yards, with CeeDee Lamb catching three passes for 29 yards. Williams has 12 carries for 55 yards.
The Cowboys saw safety Jalen Thompson go to the training room with a hamstring injury. They list him as questionable to return, but he was limping badly as he made his way to the tunnel.
The team was already without safeties Malik Hooker (broken forearm) and P.J. Locke (torn plantar fascia). So, Thompson’s departure leaves Alijah Clark and Markquese Bell at safety, and Bell was penalized 49 yards for pass interference to set up Henry’s second touchdown.
The Ravens list tight end Mark Andrews (hand) as questionable to return. He has one catch for 9 yards.
