Talk about a gut punch! The Dallas Cowboys absolutely choked away a win Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, falling 34-31 in one of the wildest finishes we’ve seen all season. You just don’t see meltdowns like this without some serious mistakes, and one play, in particular, has everyone scratching their heads.
The Third-Down Disaster That Opened the Door for Baltimore
It all came down to third-and-goal at the Baltimore 5-yard line. Only 14 seconds left, the Cowboys were trailing 31-28, and they were out of timeouts. Everyone knew they needed to get the ball into the end zone, or at least attempt it, to avoid the clock just running out. What happened next? Quarterback Dak Prescott takes the shotgun snap, looks right for about half a second, and then just sails the ball out of bounds. You kidding me? Meanwhile, George Pickens, their receiver, had gained clear separation near the front pylon and was standing there, *wide open*, for a potential game-winning touchdown! Prescott didn’t even seem to consider him.
The rest, as they say, is history. Dallas kicked a field goal to tie it at 31-31 with seven seconds remaining, seemingly forcing overtime. But Lamar Jackson wasn’t having any of that. He fired a 27-yard laser to Zay Flowers, putting the Ravens in range. Baltimore called a timeout with just one second left, and Tyler Loop stepped up to nail a ridiculous 56-yard field goal as time expired. Ballgame. Ravens win, 34-31. Unbelievable.
The Conflicting Explanations From Prescott and Schottenheimer
After the game, both Prescott and Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer tried to explain that critical third-down play, and their answers just left more questions. Schottenheimer, the offensive coordinator, actually took the blame himself. He said, “I probably over-coached Dak on that one. Because we had the points. I probably over-coached him on that.” Schottenheimer confirmed they called a “quick out,” and that with no timeouts, it “had to go to GP [Pickens] or throw it away.” He even doubled down, saying, “Yes he was throwing it away. That’s on me. I over-coached him.” So, the instruction was to throw it away if Pickens wasn’t open.
Here’s the problem: Pickens *was* open! Prescott himself confirmed he was throwing it away, but when asked about Schottenheimer’s “over-coaching” comments, he wouldn’t get into it. “I don’t want to get into it right now,” Prescott said. “Maybe in the week. Still fresh , I’m still upset, don’t want to get into it.” He did, however, admit he probably should have given Pickens a shot. Prescott added, “I probably should have just sat on it a little bit longer, sank on my back foot and just put it on that front pylon.”
So, you have the coordinator taking the blame for over-coaching a throwaway, and the quarterback confirming he threw it away, but also acknowledging he should have given his open receiver a chance. It’s a total head-scratcher. The “why” behind throwing it away when Pickens was clearly available for a touchdown is still murky, and it’s a huge question mark that’s going to stick with the Cowboys.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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