On Sunday night, three hours of the Cowboys’ effort turned on a single moment. Seven seconds later, the Ravens left the Maracn with a win. Most in the Cowboys Nation keep going back to that late fourth-quarter moment from Dak Prescott, the one that could have won it all. However, tight end Jake Ferguson finds himself fixating on a different moment. And based on his history, we’re not surprised.
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Ferguson addressed that play this week on 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM), walking through exactly what happened in real time.
“I had a conversation with the refs — I’m not even going to go into that. The shovel, we were a little late on it, and then, me just getting it, caught it funky, and as I’m trying to put it away, I’m turning upfield at the same time, and I’ve got the big biscuit right in front of me, punching at it as I’m literally trying to put it away,” Ferguson said.
“I don’t think I had possession of it. I never tucked it away. I had it vertical, like a loaf of bread at one point, and I’m trying to tuck it away. Just a big guy in a bad spot, and it was not a good picture for me when I was trying to turn up for that one.”
The moment in question came during Dallas’ first drive in the third quarter of the game. On a 1st & 10 at the Ravens’ 23-yard line, Dak Prescott made an incredibly short pass down the middle to Jake Ferguson, who fumbled the ball, with Trenton Simpson recovering it.
The point in question was whether the turnover on the field had actually stood. Although officials on the field reviewed the pass completion ruling and the play was upheld, there were still doubts.
CBS rules analyst and former NFL referee Gene Steratore voiced his own doubts about the call live on the broadcast. “I’m surprised by it, Jim,” Steratore said. “I just don’t think Jake Ferguson has possession of that football firmly enough… I think it’s incomplete, personally.”
From the official rulebook, Rule 8, Article 1, Section 3: “A forward pass is complete (by the offense) or intercepted (by the defense) in the field of play, at the sideline, or in the end zone if a player, who is inbounds: (a) secures control of the ball in his hands or arms prior to the ball touching the ground; and (b) touches the ground inbounds with both feet or with any part of his body other than his hands; and (c) after (a) and (b) have been fulfilled, clearly performs any act common to the game (e.g., extend the ball forward, take an additional step, tuck the ball away and turn upfield, or avoid or ward off an opponent), or he maintains control of the ball long enough to do so.”
And based on the replays that we saw, Ferguson didn’t seem to be in control of the ball. In any case, the NFL didn’t rule it as an incomplete pass, and the call stood. Now, two parts of this seem troubling to us.
The timing made the ruling sting. Baltimore turned the possession into momentum, eventually building a 24-13 lead before Dallas clawed back. The Cowboys outgained the Ravens 415 yards to 378 on the day and also had a field goal blocked, yet still found themselves on the losing end, 34-31, after Baltimore’s Tyler Loop drilled a 56-yard field goal as time expired, capping a seven-second drive that tied and won the game, set up by a 27-yard Jackson completion to Zay Flowers.
The loss is definitely painful, but what’s more worrying is Ferguson’s history with such incidents. Even though this was just his first fumble of the season, in the list of most fumbles since 2024, he ranks fourth, in an entire list filled with running backs.
Marcus Mosher emphasized his history: “The Cowboys have a MAJOR problem going on with Jake Ferguson. He is up to 8 fumbles since 2024. Ferguson is fumbling the ball at an absurd rate.”
In fact, back in 2024, Ferguson’s four fumbles hold the record for the joint most fumbles by a tight end in a single season.
Now, even the best receivers have troubling moments. A Super Bowl champion like Travis Kelce ranks second on the list of most fumbles by a tight end (16), but they take away from Ferguson’s contributions in the game.
Just take his night against the Ravens. He caught three passes for 23 yards and a touchdown, giving Prescott another option to look for in the red zone.
Cowboys Nation knows Ferguson can make those improvements. In that same game, his blocking also stood out, a notable turnaround after he admitted to struggling in that department during Dallas’ Week 1 loss to the New York Giants, when he described some of his own run blocks as “Charmin” soft.
“I work a ton on my technique,” Ferguson said. “A lot of it is just throwing your face in there, and I think Klayton Adams does a great job of scheming it up. This past week for the run game, we were dialed in to where we could just pin our ears back and go.”
Ferguson credited teammate Brevyn Spann-Ford for setting the tone physically up front, even on plays where the assignment wasn’t perfect.
“He might block the wrong guy, but that guy he’s blocking is going to feel it,” Ferguson said. “When in doubt, go hit somebody, and Brev is a perfect example of that. We just gotta eliminate those Charmin blocks, and usually that’s all just mindset.”
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer has already addressed the fumble problem last year, but it will be up to Ferguson how he tackles the issue.
For now, the Cowboys will look to move past the Rio heartbreak when they face the Houston Texans on the road at NRG Stadium this Sunday at noon, hoping to avoid another finish decided by a call nobody can quite agree on.