Cowboys lose in heartbreaking fashion to the Ravens

It was a feeling Cowboys fans know all too well since the turn of the century.

Misery.

As Ravens kicker Tyler Loop hit a 56-yard field goal as time expired to give Baltimore (2-1) a 34--31 win over the Cowboys (1-2), there were plenty of questions about how the end of the game was handled.

Why did the Cowboys seem so content to merely tie the game once they made it all the way down to the 4-yard line with under 30 seconds left?

Why, with seven seconds left in the game, did the Cowboys opt to kick the ball out of the end zone for a touchback instead of kicking it in play and trying to force a few seconds off the clock?

How could they let Zay Flowers so easily run a deep dig that resulted in a 27-yard gain that took only six seconds off the clock, leaving one second for the game-winning field goal?

Those are all questions Brian Schottenheimer had to answer following the disappointing loss.

Regarding the sequence of plays that resulted in the game-tying field goal with seven seconds to go, specifically the third-down play, Schottenheimer said, “I probably overcoached [Dak Prescott] on that. He was throwing it away.”

There’s plenty to question regarding the sequence of those last three plays.

It was first-and-goal from the 2-yard line with 23 seconds left following a defensive pass interference penalty on Nate Wiggins while guarding CeeDee Lamb in the end zone. The Cowboys had one timeout remaining.

The first play was an incompletion on a goal-line fade to George Pickens.

Tight end Luke Schoonmaker committed a false start on second down, turning it from second-and-goal from the 2-yard line to second-and-goal from the 7.

Dak Prescott couldn’t find anyone open and scrambled for a 2-yard gain, forcing the Cowboys to take their final timeout with 14 seconds remaining.

Third-and-goal from the 5 is where the “overcoaching” took place. Pickens appeared to be open at the front pylon of the end zone, but Prescott opted to throw the ball away over his head instead, seemingly settling for a game-tying field goal.

“We called a quick out. I probably overcoached Dak on that one,” Schottenheimer said after the game. “Because we had the points. With the time, and no timeouts, it had to go to [George Pickens] or throw it away.”

After Brandon Aubrey’s 23-yard field goal, the game was tied at 31 with seven seconds remaining.

The next decision being questioned came on the ensuing kickoff, when the Cowboys opted to have Aubrey kick it through the back of the end zone for a touchback, allowing precious seconds to remain on the clock.

One possibility for that decision was the fact that Aubrey had two kickoffs land out of bounds, resulting in penalties that gave the Ravens offense starting field position at the 40-yard line, as opposed to the 35-yard line on a touchback.

Then came the 27-yard completion to Flowers that seemed all too easy. The Cowboys decided to play man coverage instead of the prevent zone that is mostly seen in cases like that.

Schottenheimer didn’t have an issue with the call, though, more so with the execution.

“I liked the call. We wanted to stay sticky,” Schottenheimer said. “I was good with the call. We just have to execute better in those situations, and I think if that’s the case, we’re going into overtime.”

Glancing at the box score, it appeared to be another rough day for the Cowboys defense. Baltimore rushed for 192 yards, scored 34 points and the Cowboys failed to force any turnovers once again.

But during the game, it felt different. They forced a three-and-out to start the game, then forced a turnover on downs on the Ravens’ second possession, stuffing Derrick Henry on a fourth-and-1 attempt.

The Ravens are too good and too skilled to hold down completely, though, and they scored on their next three possessions of the half — two touchdowns and a field goal.

The defense would respond though, forcing a Ravens three-and-out after a Jake Furgeson fumble that killed a promising Cowboys drive in the third quarter.

The next Cowboys defensive stand came in the fourth quarter, when they stuffed Henry again on a fourth-down attempt, this time at the goal line, and kept the game within one score at 24-21.

After a 96-yard touchdown drive gave the Cowboys the lead, the defense got another stop, forcing the Ravens to punt and giving the Cowboys the ball back with a 28-24 lead and a chance to put the game away with more than seven minutes remaining.

The Cowboys offense gave the ball right back to the Ravens though, going three-and-out in less than two minutes and putting their defense in a tough spot, right back on the field.

Although there is still much to improve on, this Cowboys defense showed that it has some good pieces and might not be the same historically terrible defense from last year and the first two games of this season.

Jaishawn Barham certainly keeps getting better, and was an instrumental part in both fourth down stops, finishing the day with two tackles for loss. Caleb Downs had another good game, and Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark inside made their presence felt a little more than they had the first two games of the season.

Offensively, it was the best the Cowboys’ run game has looked all season. Javonte Williams had 19 rushes for 98 yards and a touchdown. Even Dak showed some willingness to run, tacking on 19 yards in four attempts. As a team, they rushed for 148 yards.

Through the air, Prescott was 25 of 40 for 276 yards and one touchdown. CeeDee Lamb had 7 receptions for 112 yards, and George Pickens had 7 catches for 82 yards.

The offense played well, but still left something to be desired.

On the first drive of the game, the Cowboys worked their way down to the Ravens' 1-yard line before stalling out and having to settle for a field goal. In the second quarter, they turned it over on downs after being stuffed on a fourth-and-1 attempt from their own 44-yard line. They would settle for another field goal later in the second quarter after making it to the Ravens' 20-yard line. Then came the Jake Ferguson fumble mentioned earlier, followed by a blocked field goal on their next possession.

As Schottenheimer repeated multiple times in his postgame presser, “No one played or coached a perfect game,” and that certainly is true. But if the Cowboys want to be a real contender, settling for field goals instead of converting touchdowns, allowing blocked field goals, having kicks go out of bounds and committing untimely fumbles are not the signs of a contender.

If you’re a Cowboys fan, all you can hope is that one game isn’t the difference between making the playoffs or not. But for now, this one stings.