The Dallas Cowboys fought hard in the Week 3 game against the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro. However, the loss is going to sting for them, particularly because of all the missed opportunities that could have given them the win.
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Dak Prescott blamed himself and might have subtly thrown shade at the coaches.
“Frustrated as hell. Embarrassed,” he said in the post-game press conference. “You don’t call yourselves the best offense, and we down there on the one-yard line and don’t put it in. Yeah, it just sucks.
“Not a lot of words, or a full explanation of it. Defense shouldn’t even be in that position. Those guys are over there saying, ‘It’s on us’; absolutely not. We’ve got to put the game away, period.
The Cowboys defense fought hard. They were able to stop star running back Derrick Henry twice in the game. There were errors made too, but the performance was a stepping stone for defensive coordinator Christian Parker’s unit. The coaching played a notable role in giving away the win to the Ravens.
For example, on Dallas’ first drive of the game, running back Javonte Williams rushed for 36 yards to take the Cowboys to New York’s 1-yard line. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer then chose to run pass plays, and Dak Prescott got sacked on third down. What would have been a touchdown ended up being a field goal.
There was also the Jake Ferguson fumble in the second half on a shovel pass on a first down. And then there was that game-sealing overthrow to Pickens in the fourth quarter, forcing the Cowboys to settle for a field goal and tie the score at 31.
Baltimore edged past Dallas with a field goal of its own to win 34-31.
Meanwhile, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer also shouldered the blame for the loss. He didn’t criticize the players. Instead, he blamed his play-calling and assured to do better in the next games.
“Yeah, we thought we were going to score a touchdown,” Schottenheimer said in the post-game presser. “We thought we were gonna 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.
“I don’t ever question these guys, man. Watch the way they play. This team doesn’t have quit in them, but they’re hurting right now. I’m hurting. I felt like we made enough plays to go win the game, but we didn’t. So we give Baltimore credit for that.”
He graded his playcalling an F.
The Cowboys will come home disappointed; there’s no two ways about that. Brian Schottenheimer and Co. have got to put the team in better chances to make plays and score.