Cowboys' Most Overlooked Play That Cost Dallas Week 3 Win In Rio

A lot went wrong for the Dallas Cowboys in their Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, but there’s one costly mistake being overlooked.

Dallas Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson and WRs CeeDee Lamb and Ryan Flournoy celebrate during the game against the Baltimore Ravens. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Week 3 was tough for the Dallas Cowboys, who fought hard against the Baltimore Ravens, and had a chance to win at the end of the game. Through a series of missteps, the Cowboys wound up losing in overtime, and much of the blame has fallen on the shoulders of Brian Schottenheimer.

While he deserves heat for his game management, there’s one mistake that’s being overlooked and, according to analytics, it was the costliest error in the game. The play in question was a third-quarter fumble by tight end Jake Ferguson, which ended a promising drive to start the second half.

Dallas, trailing 17-13, moved the ball 40 yards on nine plays, even converting a huge fourth-and-three in the process. Then on a first down from the Baltimore 23, Ferguson took a shovel pass and lost the ball while being tackled.

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson runs with the ball as Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith defends. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Ravens didn’t score on the ensuing possession, which meant the play was largely forgotten when dissecting what went wrong, but according to analytics, this was a damning play for Dallas.

Dyllan Rivers of Blogging the Boys shared the advanced stats, saying that play amounted to -5.62 EPA.

”Remove the Ferguson fumble and Dallas jumps to +0.17 EPA/play (finished at +0.09 vs Ravens +0.13). That turnover was -5.62 EPA by itself,” Rivers said. “This was the worst offensive play call on the day.”

The play itself was questionable, with Ferguson dropping the ball quickly after taking possession. There was hope it would be called an interception, but after review, it was upheld and the Cowboys failed to take the lead, which they seemed primed to do on the drive.

Jake Ferguson has a fumbling problem

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson at training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Fumbling has become a major concern with Ferguson over the past few seasons. After coughing up the ball four times in 2024, Ferguson had three fumbles in 2025.

Last year, head coach Brian Schottenheimer discussed the issue, saying it was all about fundamentals, while adding that Ferguson has to take better care of the ball. He didn’t do that on Sunday, and it proved to be a costly mistake.

Overall, Ferguson has had a decent start to the season with three touchdowns in the first three games. He still has just nine receptions and is averaging eight yards per catch. While he would surely like to see higher numbers, his main focus has to be on keeping possession when he does get the ball.

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