When you have a solid chance to win and mess it up, accepting the loss becomes much harder than expected. That’s what happened with the Cowboys after they suffered a 34-31 loss against the Ravens. But one sharp moment that could have changed the game dynamics left a lasting mark on quarterback Dak Prescott and the team.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“Dak Prescott didn’t want to go into the teachings of Brian Schottenheimer on the throw to George Pickens: Definitely not right now, maybe in a week. Still fresh, just upset. Prescott said Pickens was open on the play, needed to sit on it,” Cowboys reporter Calvin Watkins reported on X.
On third-and-goal from the 2-yard line while trailing by three in the fourth quarter, Dak Prescott prematurely threw the ball away out of bounds, missing a wide-open George Pickens, who broke open near the right pylon and had generated enough separation for a go-ahead touchdown
Prescott believed Pickens should have stayed in his original position, as the play would have worked.
Prescott’s expectations make sense, as last year Pickens learned how Dallas’ offense worked and how Dak Prescott wanted him to run his routes. Since Prescott had several players to throw to, Pickens knew he would not get the ball every time. So, his job was to run every route hard, stay in the right spot, and be ready whenever Prescott decided to throw his way.
“Running every route hard, just trying to stay open for Dak,” Pickens said. “The ball is going to come, whether it’s [Jake Ferguson], CeeDee, [Jalen Tolbert], [KaVontae Turpin], me, so just keep running the routes…”
But then there was another confusion too. Dak Prescott had a possible chance to make a game-winning play but threw it away instead, as he was taught to do so by Schottenheimer.
Prescott went 25-of-40 for 276 yards and a touchdown. After the loss, Schottenheimer gave the team a grade, expressing his frustration.
“I give it an F,” Schottenheimer said via Calvin Watkins.
The Cowboys did finish with 415 total yards and a season-best 148 rushing yards. However, they struggled when it mattered most on third downs, converting only 5 of 13 attempts.
The problem didn’t just stop there. Dallas was already short-handed on defense because Malik Hooker and P.J. Locke were unavailable, while Cobie Durant was also out.
Things got even tougher when starting safety Jalen Thompson suffered a hamstring injury during the game, leaving the Cowboys with very few options in the secondary.
Dallas still managed to take a 28–24 lead after stopping Baltimore on fourth down. But Lamar Jackson quickly led the Ravens down the field for another touchdown, putting Baltimore back ahead.
The Cowboys tied the game with a field goal, but soon, Jackson connected on a deep pass with one second left, giving Tyler Loop the chance to hit the 56-yard game-winning field goal.
So, in the end, all the small mistakes led to the Cowboys’ loss against the Ravens.