RAVENS BEAT COWBOYS 34-31 ON LATE TOUCHBACK PLAY

The Baltimore Ravens beat the Dallas Cowboys 34-31 in Week 3 by using a touchback to launch a scoring drive in the closing seconds, according to Ravens head coach Jesse Minter. Brandon Aubrey kicked the ball 65 yards for a touchback, which under NFL rules let the Ravens start their possession at their own 35-yard line without any time coming off the clock. Minter told a post-game press conference that Baltimore's coaching staff had calculated the time a scoring play would take and the yardage required, and that the touchback rule proved decisive. He credited his players for what he called great execution on the resulting play. Dallas head coach Brian Schottenheimer confirmed his team had trailed by three before the Ravens' response, following a sequence in which the Cowboys tied the game late on.

Schottenheimer said Dallas had originally intended to score a touchdown on their preceding drive after moving the ball well inside Ravens territory. Quarterback Dak Prescott threw four incomplete passes into the end zone in the final minute, after which Schottenheimer opted to kick a field goal rather than continue attempting a touchdown. That field goal, from Aubrey, levelled the score at 31-31 with seven seconds remaining. A five-yard penalty and an injury to Terence Steele preceded a Cowboys timeout with 14 seconds left. Schottenheimer said he had been reluctant to ask Aubrey for a shorter kickoff because Aubrey had sent two earlier kickoffs out of bounds during the game.

Schottenheimer said the touchback kick went out of his control once Aubrey struck it 65 yards, handing Baltimore the ball at the 35-yard line with time still on the clock. He said his team had moved the ball effectively in the red zone but had failed to convert those opportunities into a touchdown, adding that better play-calling was needed in that situation. Schottenheimer said he remained proud of his players despite the result. Minter's comments indicated Baltimore's coaching staff had anticipated the scenario and prepared specifically for the time and yardage constraints it presented. Neither coach's remarks indicated any planned rule or personnel changes following the game.