Ravens beat Cowboys 34-31 on 56-yard field goal as time expired in NFL debut at Maracanã
Between plays, with an American football game unfolding in front of them, the stands of the Maracanã stopped to sing "Evidências", the Chitãozinho e Xororó country classic that Brazilian soccer crowds have belted out for decades. The scene set the tone for Sunday night (27): in the first NFL game ever played at the stadium that watched Pelé score his 1,000th goal, the Baltimore Ravens beat the Dallas Cowboys 34-31, in week 3 of the season, on a 56-yard field goal by kicker Tyler Loop as the clock hit zero.The ending belonged to two kickers. With seven seconds left, Brandon Aubrey made a 23-yard field goal to tie the game at 31-31 for the Cowboys. Baltimore had little time, and quarterback Lamar Jackson used almost all of it: a 27-yard pass to Zay Flowers took the Ravens to the Dallas 38-yard line. Loop came on for the long attempt, converted as time expired and settled the score.Baltimore pulled ahead, Dallas fought backThe win did not come without scares. The Ravens led 24-13 in the third quarter and had a chance to extend it, but were stopped on fourth down at the Dallas 1-yard line, with Derrick Henry contained by the Cowboys defense. Dak Prescott then led the comeback: a touchdown pass to Jake Ferguson and a nine-yard run by KaVontae Turpin into the end zone put Dallas ahead 28-24. The answer came with 1 minute 18 seconds left, when Jackson found tight end Matt Hibner for a two-yard touchdown: 31-28, before Aubrey's tying kick and the field goal that decided it all.The numbers explain the show. Jackson completed 15 of 20 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for 50 more. Henry scored two rushing touchdowns, and the first touchdown in the NFL's history at the Maracanã was scored by running back Javonte Williams, according to InfoMoney. Prescott completed 25 of 40 passes for 276 yards and one touchdown. Baltimore moved to 2-1 on the season; Dallas fell to 1-2."We felt at home here"If the game was decided in the final second, the party started much earlier. According to ge, the sports outlet of Brazil's Globo group, 72,792 people filled the Maracanã, the stadium's biggest crowd of 2026, with a halftime show and fans who treated the game like a big soccer match, from the chanting to Loop's celebration, a copy of Cristiano Ronaldo's "Siu" after the winning kick. Neymar and television host Luciano Huck were among those in the stands, according to gshow. After the game, Jackson told ge:"It was spectacular. I'm very happy for Loop. In Brazil, and for the guy to hit a kick like that at the end. They embrace me, not just me but my teammates. It was so wonderful, we felt at home here. And we had never been here before, so it's amazing. I enjoyed the whole experience."Henry, interviewed on the field, went the same way: "I thank everyone who came. I'm looking forward to more games here, we want to come back. We love Brazil." When Loop's ball went through the uprights and the clock died at zero, the Maracanã answered the way it knows best: by singing, the same stands that hours earlier had sung "Evidências", a temple of soccer that now, officially, also hosts American football.
CFCamila Ferreira