If the NFL didn’t create thousands of new fans in Brazil after the Ravens and Cowboys’ Sunday afternoon on-field display, it never will.
Baltimore and Dallas, two 1-1 teams looking to break an early-season .5oo mark and gain some momentum moving into the meat of the schedule, clashed in Rio de Janeiro in a game that saw nearly 800 yards of total offense, goal-line stands, a blocked kick, controversial calls, and all things in between.
However, as much as all that deserves attention, the ending stole the show.
With the game tied 31-31 and only seven seconds left on the clock, Ravens QB Lamar Jackson dropped back on first down and lofted a beautiful 27-yard pass that found his top receiver, Zay Flowers, at the Dallas 39-yard line.
Why was Flowers open for the pass? That’s a good question Dallas head coach Brian Schottenheimer will be trying to answer for the rest of the week. With only seven seconds left, Dallas’ defensive alignment suggested the Ravens would either try a hook-and-lateral or a much deeper pass play.
What they apparently didn’t expect was what happened: the Ravens threw a slightly longer-than-medium pass over the deep middle, then used their sole remaining timeout to set up Dallas native Tyler Loop for a long-range field goal.
Schottenheimer immediately argued with the referees, insisting that there was no time left on the clock, and indeed, the broadcast clock showed all zeroes at the end of the play. However, the referee overruled the Dallas coach, insisting that Flowers got down and the Ravens got the timeout called with one second left on the clock.
The Ravens made the most of that one second, as their second-year kicker trotted out onto the divot-filled field in hopes of ending his hometown team’s chances of victory.
The call in Portuguese from the Brazilian broadcasters was something to behold.
X users quickly hailed the awesome call and relished the crazy ending.
“Better than every announcer in the United States. There is no excitement in announcing anymore,” one user wrote.
“Early game of the year contender,” wrote another.
“How did they allow that to happen?” asked another.
“Cowboys will need a lot of therapy after that loss,” another opined.
“Americans will never have passion to call games, ever,” another asserted.
Loop’s end-game heroics are not only great to see, but especially great for him, given the ruthless criticism he faced at the end of last season after missing kicks in the final game of the regular season that cost the Ravens a chance at the playoffs.