Cowboys Choke! Winners & Losers From Non-Clutch Loss to Ravens in Rio

There wasn't a ton to be happy throughout for the Dallas Cowboys as a result of their Week 3 game in Rio de Janeiro against the Baltimore Ravens.

Yes, somehow, a win was still in reach until the final second. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson pierced the Cowboys' depleted secondary for a completion near midfield. His timeout call came with just a tick remaining on the clock, and kicker Tyler Loop nailed a 56-yard field goal as time expired on a 34-31 thriller.

"This one stings,'' coach Brian Schottenheimer said.

Added QB Dak Prescott: "Frustrated as hell. ... Embarrassed. We don't call ourselves the best offense, 'GOTI,' and get down to the one-yard line and don't put it in. Yeah, it just sucks.

The Cowboys leave the Maracanã 1-2 on the season. They'll prepare for a road game at the Houston Texans scheduled for Week 4 on Oct. 4.

And it says here that this bunch, led by Schottenheimer and Prescott, do it having to wear the label - one I do not throw around lightly - as "chokers.''

Let's dive into the winners and losers - and chokers - from Sunday's dramatics:

The Cowboys' questionable offensive play-calling early ended up being almost as costly as the pivotal seconds that slowly ticked off the clock (and the ones Dallas wasted several times on offense).

There arguably should have been even more time drained off, but Dallas sent the ball into the end zone for a touchback rather than squibbing the final kickoff, which put Baltimore in position for the deep pass and a walk-off field goal.

Earlier, Schottenheimer's decision-making was head-scratching. On the very first possession, there were back-to-back pass plays from just outside the goal line that were unsuccessful, ending a drive in which Williams was getting good yardage.

Later on, another run play on fourth down was stuffed, and a shovel pass to tight end Jake Ferguson (who, mind you, has more fumbles than any Cowboy over the last two years), resulted in a fumble and defensive recovery.

And maybe Brandon Aubrey's blocked field goal in the first half should have been a "go" call instead of Baltimore adding to its lead shortly after the empty Dallas possession.

Fans held their breath as kick returner KaVontae Turpin took a jet sweep out of the backfield but eventually scored a fourth-quarter go-ahead touchdown.

But in the final seconds, after a lucky PI call in favor of CeeDee Lamb put the ball at the 1 with Dallas down three. ...

Yes, in hindsight, the first-down fade to George Pickens at the goal line could have been a different call ... especially considering the next play pushed Dallas back on a Luke Schoonmaker false start. ... but before the Ravens forced a game-tying field goal, the Cowboys shot themselves in the foot with a mind-blowing decision.

On third down, Prescott dropped to throw. Receivers were open, incliuding Pickens at the goal line. But the QB air-mailed the ball well over Pickens' reach, toward the bleachers.

Why?

Schottenheimer said he'd "overcoached'' Dak, which I presume to mean he instructed him to be very, very careful to not throw an interception.

So Dak was "too careful.''

Said Prescott: "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. Definitely should have.''

After that came the kickoff through the end zone, and the seven seconds that were left with the score tied ... when there should've been zero seconds left and Dallas up 38-31.

That's coaching. That's choking.

Cowboys running back Javonte Williams entered the game with just 71 yards rushing to his name this season. He finished against the Ravens with 98, including a touchdown, on 5.8 yards per carry.

Even backup Tyler Goodson showed some pop in his spot opportunities, helping show improvements in the push at the line of scrimmage.

While the Cowboys' offense will still run through the Dak Prescott-led pass game, this was a promising showing with star left guard Tyler Smith set to return after next week's game, at the earliest.

Who is even left?

In Week 1, safety Malik Hooker went down with a hurt forearm that required surgery. Last week, cornerback Cobie Durant (hamstring) and safety P.J. Locke (foot) got injured, with the latter landing on IR. And on Sunday, Markquese Bell (dehydration), Shavon Revel Jr. (knee) and Jalen Thompson (hamstring) were shaken up in the Cowboys' secondary.

Blame the tropical climate or maybe the sloppy field condition (though not much was made of it in-game besides a slippage on the opening kickoff), but Dallas is simply running out of available bodies next to DaRon Bland and Caleb Downs.

The young defensive back had a nice pass breakup in the second half and held his own overall after being a call-up amid the injuries in the secondary. Dallas will hope others like him, including Reddy Steward and Ameer Speed, will bring similar production if more unavailability awaits.

And even after a solid game, Clark and the defensive backfield might get spotlighted for the final pass play from Jackson, who smartly targeted the depleted Cowboys unit in the most pivotal moment of the game. That will stay a concern moving forward.

The future Hall of Famer did find the end zone twice, but holding him to just 3.4 yards per carry was not an expected outcome for a Cowboys defense that is near the bottom of the league in rush defense.

The standout moments came in particular from rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham, who helped stuff Henry twice on fourth down late in the game, one coming on the goal line. Donovan Ezeiruaku, Quinnen Williams and Downs also made their presences felt in the run game.

For as impressive as the run-stopping seemed, the Ravens still pounded 192 yards into the ground and got 50 rushing yards out of their always-dynamic quarterback.

Containing scrambling is still a Cowboys Achilles heel, and C.J. Stroud has athleticism of his own that will bring another challenge next week.

Baltimore nearly did again.

The Ravens have lost an NFL-most 15 games in which they've led by double-digits since 2019.

Dallas mounted a 15-point comeback, and if it weren't for the seven final, fleeting seconds, who knows how things might have ended had we gone to overtime.

The Ravens feel like they escaped Rio with a game that felt scarily similar to a losses past.

And the Cowboys feel like they let an unexpected win slip through their fingertips.