The Baltimore Ravens delivered a signature win in Week 3 in front of an international crowd. Baltimore won a shootout with Dallas in Brazil thanks to a game-winning field goal by Tyler Loop with just one second left on the clock. One Ravens coach explained one questionable decision that the Cowboys made that set Loop up for his game-winning kick.
Ravens head coach Jesse Minter spoke at length about the end of game sequence that ended up securing the win. Minter highlighted the importance of the NFL's new touchback rule on kickoffs.
“Everybody nowadays with all the game management people throughout the league like you're aware of kind of the time constraints on these situations and what you're able to do,” Minter told reporters after the game. “So again, the touchback rule is huge. It's the 35-yard line so we felt like the same way with their kicker. I mean when they get the ball on the 35-yard line, they're 15 yards from being in field goal range. We felt like one play that could take six seconds, kind of know the time that that route takes and the yards that we needed. Great execution by our guys and came through.”
By rule, a touchback goes out to the 35-yard line if it reaches the end zone purely through the air. But if it lands in the landing zone and then rolls into the end zone, the touchback only goes out to the 20-yard line.
Minter was surprised that Dallas decided to boom their kick out of the end zone. If the Cowboys had kicked the ball in bounds, the Ravens would have been forced to return it. That would have eaten up precious seconds, likely preventing the Ravens from winning the game in regulation.
Baltimore was also fortunate to hold Dallas to a field goal on their final drive. The Cowboys drove deep into Ravens territory and came close to scoring a touchdown. If that had happened, the Cowboys most likely would have won the game.
It is great to see that Baltimore's rookie head coach seemed to understand all of this in real time.