The Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys entered the matchup in Rio de Janeiro amid heavy criticism of the field in Maracanã Stadium. Before the game, the Cowboys dropped by the venue to test out the field.
However, with the game having gone to the Ravens after a thriller back-and-forth with the Cowboys, quarterback Lamar Jackson said the condition of the field would not dictate their approach.
“The field was going to be the field. We didn’t care about how the field was,” Jackson said at the press conference. “We just know once the time comes, we’re going to play football. That’s all we could do.
“And this Brazil trip, man, it was wonderful. The fans were fantastic; the Brazil citizens was fantastic. We walked around, we seen we explored. It was a great experience here.”
Players from soccer club Flamengo, who regularly use the stadium, had criticized the condition of the ground. Reports also noted the excessive rain Rio has seen recently, which had made the field slippery. The NFLPA stepped in to assess the conditions, too.
This was the NFL’s first game in Rio, and Dallas’ first international matchup since 2014. A lot of eyes were going to be on the game. However, NFL field director Greg Pappas confirmed that the field quality met the standards, reaffirming the stance that the NFL already established: there was no reason to worry.
Jackson had already dismissed the claims against the field during his Wednesday media availability. He said the NFL had specialists checking the field and that his responsibility was simply to prepare for the game.
“I believe the NFL does a great job at having their specialists go out there and look over the fields. I cannot worry about that. I just have to worry about getting us a dub in Brazil, our first time in Rio. [As for] the field, we have played on bad fields plenty of times, so I cannot really dwell on that. We are just going out there to play football.”
Once the action got underway, though, the attention quickly shifted away from the field. Baltimore fell behind early, but Derrick Henry found the end zone twice before halftime, helping the Ravens take a 17-13 lead before the second half. Lamar Jackson then connected with Chris Moore for a third-quarter touchdown, giving Baltimore a 24-13 advantage.
Dallas refused to let the game slip away and put together a late comeback, tying the game 31-31 after another back-and-forth stretch. But this time, the Baltimore Ravens were at a sensitive point: the fourth quarter is where they seem to give it all away, like in the Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
The Ravens had led 17-9 entering the fourth quarter before New Orleans scored 15 unanswered points to win 24-17. Jackson threw a late interception that ended Baltimore’s comeback attempt.
But this time against Dallas, Baltimore was successful. Lamar Jackson threw a 27-yard pass to Zay Flowers, setting up the game-winning 56-yard field goal for Tyler Loop.
“We done finished plenty of games in the fourth quarter,” Jackson said, responding to whether they needed a game like this to break the fourth-quarter failure narrative. “Sometimes it didn’t go our way. It might be the type of game we’re in.
“But what a way to finish the fourth quarter, you know, bouncing back from last week.”
For the Cowboys, the Brazil trip ended in another close defeat after they had beaten the Washington Commanders 37-20 in Week 2. Had Dallas come forward with some better play-calling, Baltimore might not have had this victory in the bag.
The field was a major talking point before kickoff, but once the game started, Jackson and the Ravens simply focused on football. After a dramatic win, he left Brazil praising the experience.