Brazil hosts nailbiter as Loop’s buzzer beater sinks Cowboys

The NFL made its way to Rio on Sunday evening as the Baltimore Ravens travelled to Brazil looking to bounce back from its disappointing Week 2 defeat, while the Dallas Cowboys entered the international matchup also sitting at 1-1. Brazillian football fans at Maracanã Stadium came in expecting a back-and-forth offensive showdown, and the teams did not disappoint.

The Cowboys came out firing, opening the scoring with a 28-yard Brandon Aubrey field goal before Javonte Williams powered into the end zone from two yards out, with a failed 4th down conversion by Derrick Henry on Baltimore’s first set of downs for the game sandwiched in between. Dallas had taken a 10-0 lead and appeared firmly in control early.

After the slow start, Baltimore eventually found its rhythm through Henry. The veteran running back scored from 4 yards to get the Ravens on the board, before adding another 3-yard touchdown early on in the second quarter to give Baltimore its first lead of the afternoon.

They extended their advantage with a 27-yard Tyler Loop field goal, but Dallas responded before halftime when Aubrey converted from 38 yards to cut the deficit to 17-13 at the break.

The third quarter belonged to the Ravens initially. Dallas twice moved into Baltimore territory but failed to come away with points, with Jake Ferguson losing a fumble and Aubrey later having a 59-yard field-goal attempt blocked by Ravens safety Keondre Jackson.

Baltimore capitalised immediately. Lamar Jackson connected with an unlikely source in Chris Moore for a 4-yard touchdown, pushing the Ravens’ lead to 11 points.

Dallas’ star-studded offense refused to fold, however. Dak Prescott responded with a 67-yard touchdown drive, finding Ferguson for a 19-yard score before connecting with CeeDee Lamb on the successful two-point conversion.

The Cowboys then completed the turnaround early in the final quarter. KaVontae Turpin took a Prescott handoff and raced 9 yards into the end zone, putting Dallas ahead 28-24.

The contest was still well-and-truly up for grabs, as Baltimore answered with a lengthy drive of its own. After the Ravens were stopped on three straight plays inside the Dallas three-yard line, Lamar Jackson finally found tight end Matt Hibner for a two-yard touchdown, restoring Baltimore’s lead with just over a minute and a half remaining.

Dallas still had plenty of time for one final response.

Prescott calmly moved the Cowboys down the field, helped by a pass interference penalty that put the ball at the Baltimore one-yard line. The Ravens’ defence held firm at the goal line, forcing Dallas to settle for Aubrey’s 23-yard field goal with just 7 seconds remaining.

At 31-31, overtime appeared inevitable. It wasn’t.

Lamar Jackson took the snap and immediately went to work, completing a 27-yard pass to Zay Flowers to move Baltimore into Dallas territory. With just one second left, Jackson called timeout and Loop came onto the field for a 56-yard attempt, which sailed through the uprights, as it was only fitting that a kick proved the defining moment of a game in Brazil.

Baltimore secured a remarkable 34-31 victory in the first NFL game played at Maracanã Stadium, improving to 2-1 while Dallas fell to 1-2.

Touchdowns
Baltimore: Henry 2, Moore, Hibner
Dallas: Williams, Ferguson, Turpin

Top Performers
Baltimore: Jackson, Henry, Flowers, Loop, Simpson
Dallas: Prescott, Lamb, Williams, Barham, Aubrey

Injuries
Baltimore: Pocic (knee), Gwyn (ankle)
Dallas: Thompson (hamstring), Revel Jr. (knee), Bullard (calf)

Crowd: 72,792 at Maracanã Stadium