Cowboys-Ravens ending: Dallas kickoff mistake sets up winning field goal

Key Points:

• The Dallas Cowboys lost a close game to the Baltimore Ravens 34-31 after a critical decision to kick a touchback on the final kickoff with seven seconds left, allowing the Ravens to start at their 35-yard line and run a game-winning play.
• The Cowboys opted for a touchback to avoid the risk of a return or the ball going out of bounds, but this decision gave the Ravens enough time to complete a 27-yard pass and set up a 56-yard game-winning field goal by Tyler Loop.
• Ravens coach Jesse Minter praised the impact of the new NFL kickoff rule moving touchbacks to the 35-yard line, which made it easier for Baltimore to gain field goal range with limited time remaining.
• The Cowboys also mismanaged their timeouts in the final 30 seconds, calling a timeout too early and leaving the Ravens with additional seconds to execute their final scoring drive.
• Had the Cowboys allowed the clock to run down further before calling a timeout or chosen to kick the ball into the landing zone to burn time, the Ravens might not have had enough time to score, highlighting Dallas' crucial time management errors.