Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) talks with guard Tyler Booker (52) as they leave the field after the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens at Maracanã Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
RIO DE JANEIRO — Not to get overly dramatic in late September, but the Cowboys’ season is teetering on the brink of disaster.
The Cowboys’ 34-31 loss to the Ravens on Sunday afternoon just confirmed the pass rush is weak, the secondary doesn’t make plays on the ball and quarterback Dak Prescott still can’t change the narrative that he can’t win an important game.
Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson played to win Sunday.
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And because of that, the 1-2 Cowboys are placed in a perilous situation.
“I was very honest with them,” coach Brian Schottenheimer said Sunday night of his message to the team. “I told them this one hurts and I was sorry that we didn’t find a way to win.”
Meanwhile, on the flight back to America, the Cowboys’ brain trust, Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones, had a chat.
“We had three or four hours there just talking about all the things we can do and need to do to be better,” Stephen Jones said in a Monday afternoon radio interview on The Fan 105.3 FM (KRLD-FM).
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The next three opponents are a combined 1-8, and if the Cowboys can’t go at least 2-1 during this stretch, it’s difficult to believe this team will make the postseason.
Despite a 10-plus hour flight back to Texas, Sunday’s Week 4 game at Houston is a must-win.
The Texans are 0-3. Sunday afternoon down I-45 will have a frenzied feeling because of the rivalry between these teams and what a victory would mean for both.
If the Cowboys can take care of things against the Texans, next is Tampa Bay on a short week. It’s Thursday night, Oct. 8, against the Buccaneers, who most likely will not have quarterback Baker Mayfield. He suffered a dislocated right thumb on his throwing hand in a loss to the Vikings, which dropped them to 0-3.
After a weekend off, the Cowboys will travel to historic Lambeau Field to take on the Packers.
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The Pack hold a 1-2 mark.
This is such a favorable schedule for the Cowboys, but after what we saw Sunday here against the Ravens, it’s hard to believe in what this team wants to accomplish.
It starts with Schottenheimer, who gave himself a failing grade for his playcalling against the Ravens. He called for pass plays late in the game despite the success of the running attack.
He told his kicker Brandon Aubrey, the highest-paid player at his position, to kick a ball out of the end zone instead of taking time off the clock with a short kick.
Schottenheimer elected to have Aubrey kick out of the end zone instead of taking time off the clock, officially at seven seconds remaining, because he previously kicked two balls out of bounds, giving the Ravens starting field position at the 40.
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Before the kick madness, Prescott had a chance to play for the win. Instead, he threw a pass away on a third-and-goal to receiver George Pickens. It was as if Prescott was conceding to live another day.
After Aubrey’s field goal tied the score, Prescott was seen on the bench seething as if he knew he messed up, something he admitted after the game.
Jackson wasn’t living to fight another day. He lives in the now.
With seven seconds left in the game, Jackson, a two-time MVP, connected to receiver Zay Flowers for a 27-yard reception that led to the game-winning field goal.
Why did defensive coordinator Christian Parker instruct his unit to play what they call man-to-man robber? What that means is a safety plays in the middle of the field while the other defensive backs play man-to-man.
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Playing zone might have worked better in that situation, especially having defenders trying to protect for a possible long field goal.
Schottenheimer said the coverage was too soft but the Cowboys didn’t have their starters on the field at the time of the reception. Backups Caelen Carson, Caleb Downs, Markquese Bell and Alijah Clark were protecting the deep end of the field.
Downs covered a receiver and released him to Bell to get picked up underneath. But Clark was back near the Cowboys’ 30-yard line and moved up after the reception. Reddy Steward was trailing Flowers and eventually made the tackle.
The pass rushers are non-existent with just two sacks in three weeks. The only player with a solo sack is the rookie safety Downs.
“Yeah, certainly below where we expect to be, especially with these athletic quarterbacks that makes it hard,” Schottenheimer said. “But I definitely think that there’s some opportunities. I mean, we’ve been around these guys a lot.”
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The Cowboys are interested in upgrading the roster. They need a cornerback. They need a pass rusher. Maybe a tackle. Maybe a safety.
Injuries to at least four different defensive starters also impacted this team.
“It’s early in the season, thankfully,” Prescott said.