The franchise of Leon Lett still doesn’t know when to not touch a blocked kick.
The Dallas Cowboys seemed to have a huge blocked punt right after the two-minute warning, which would have given them great field position in a 20-20 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night. The block by linebacker Nick Vigil was clean. But, like Lett infamously touching a blocked field goal in the snow in a 1993 Thanksgiving game, cornerback Amani Oruwariye didn’t leave the live ball alone after the block. Oruwariye tried to field it, making the ball live which he fumbled. The Bengals recovered.
A few plays later, Ja’Marr Chase broke a 40-yard touchdown against a Cowboys defense that should have been off the field, giving Cincinnati a 27-20 lead with 1:01 left.
The Bengals snuffed out the Cowboys' final drive and held on to win.
The Cowboys (5-8) have had a disappointing season but had a shot at their first three-game winning streak with a win. But nothing sums up this Dallas season like having a blocked punt, and then giving it away because not everyone knew to get away from the bouncing ball.
The Cowboys' C.J. Goodwin told reporters postgame that Oruwariye wouldn't comment: "That's my teammate. That's my brother. We aren't doing any negativity," Goodwin said, according to DLLS reporter Joseph Hoyt.
Bengals take halftime lead
The Cowboys had a good start. Dallas quarterback Cooper Rush (or was that Homer Simpson?) hit CeeDee Lamb for an 11-yard touchdown to start the scoring. But it’s the Cowboys, and the mistakes started coming. Rush threw an interception in the red zone. The offense stalled a bit. And the defense couldn’t stop Burrow.
Burrow had a 5-yard touchdown pass to Chase and another 16-yard score to Chase Brown. Burrow had 207 yards and two touchdowns at halftime and the Bengals led 17-10. Burrow looked very sharp, as he has most of the season, often avoiding the rush and keeping his eyes upfield to find receivers. Burrow led the Bengals to a Super Bowl a few years ago, but he might be playing the best football of his career this season.
Finally, Burrow made one big mistake. The Cowboys tied the game early in the third quarter when Rush hit Brandin Cooks for a 3-yard touchdown. Then Burrow overthrew Chase downfield and was picked off by safety Malik Hooker. The Cowboys couldn’t convert it into a touchdown, but got a field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter to take a 20-17 lead.
The Bengals (5-8) tied it 20-20 on a field goal after that. Both teams came in with losing records, but they put on a good show to set up some drama in the fourth quarter for the Monday night audience.
A close 4th quarter
The Bengals got lucky on what looked like a key turnover. Andrei Iosivas looked like he was stripped of the ball, but a replay review showed he never secured the catch as he was juggling it, so it was ruled incomplete. Burrow was sacked after that — officials missed a clear facemask penalty on Dallas — and punted on the next play.
The Bengals got a stop and that gave Burrow a chance to win the game. He was banged up on the previous drive, possibly on the sack, and ESPN showed him getting a brace on his knee before the drive that started with 5:31 left. The drive started well, but two offensive penalties put the Bengals into a second-and-26. After a short completion and a sack, Cincinnati punted at the two-minute warning. That’s when the punt was blocked, leading to the comedy of errors of the Bengals getting the ball right back.
Micah Parsons left the field before time expired at the end of Bengals-Cowboys. pic.twitter.com/UoIOsHTz46
Chase is having a monster season, and shortly after the gaffe by Dallas he took a short pass, slipped by one tackle attempt and took it in for the go-ahead touchdown.
Micah Parsons stormed off the field after the heartbreaking loss. That image is a good representation of the Cowboys’ entire season.
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Ryan Young
At long last, Joe Burrow gets his win.
The Bengals get their first win of the season in a game that Joe Burrow threw for over 300 yards 👀
Cowboys block the punt, but Bengals recover the ball
Well, that was something. The Cowboys blocked the punt, but the Bengals recovered and will actually retain possession after the Cowboys failed to recover it. So Joe Burrow is headed back out. What a wild turn of events in Dallas.
The Cowboys blocks the punt... but it was then touched by a Dallas player... and then recovered by the Bengals 🤯
The Cowboys picked up a first down, but then Cooper Rush threw three straight incomplete passes to set up a punt. Joe Burrow and the Bengals will get the ball back now at their own 14.
Ryan Young
Bengals punting back to Cowboys
The missed fumble opportunity didn't matter. The Cowboys got the stop on third down and will now take over after a Bengals punt with about 6:30 left in the game.
Dallas brings the blitz for a HUGE sack to get the ball back
The Cowboys nearly pulled off what would've been a huge turnover, but Andre Iosivas never had full possession. His fumble was overturned, and the Bengals will keep driving at midfield now in the fourth quarter.
Jason Owens
Cowboys punt after 3-and-out
The Bengals forced a 3-and-out after getting pressure on Cooper Rush with a 3rd-and-11 blitz. Dallas' possession lasted just 51 seconds. The Bengals have the ball back and a chance to take the lead.
Jason Owens
Bengals tie game with Cade York FG
The Cowboys stopped the Bengals on third-and-2 to force a field goal attempt. Cade York is good from 29 yards to tie the game at 20-20 with 10:24 remaining in regulation.
Jason Owens
Cowboys rule DeMarvion Overshown out
The Cowboys quickly ruled DeMarvion Overshown out with a knee injury.
Jason Owens
Cowboys LB DeMarvion Overshown limps off
Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown went down on the field with an apparent injury. He needed help up and was eventually able to limp off with the aid of trainers. His right leg got pinned beneath him in a pile of players on a tackle. The extent of his injury isn't initially clear.
A third-round pick in 2023, Overshown missed his rookie season with an ACL tear. Overshown's thrived in his first NFL season this year with five sacks, 5 quarterback hits, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and a pick 6 in 12 games.
Jason Owens
Cowboys convert Burrow pick into go-ahead FG
The Cowboys are back on top. After intercepting Joe Burrow, the Cowboys drove 54 yards to set up a Brandon Aubrey field goal. Aubrey's good from 47 yards on the first snap of the fourth quarter to give the Cowboys a 20-17 lead.
Jason Owens
Cowboys force first Joe Burrow miscue
Joe Burrow has been on fire all night. But the Cowboys forced a mistake from the Bengals QB at an opportune time. Burrow looked deep to Ja'Marr Chase in Cowboys territory, but overthrew his target and instead found Cowboys safety Malik Hooker.
The interception is just Burrow's sixth of the season alongside 32 touchdowns. The Cowboys have the chance now to break a 17-17 tie.
The Cowboys opened the third quarter with a statement. Dallas got the ball first and drove 70 yards on the first drive of the half that ended with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Cooper Rush to Brandin Cooks. Rush had plenty of time in the pocket while completing four passes on the drive.
The second half is underway. The Cowboys have the ball first with a chance to tie the game.
Jason Owens
Bengals 17, Cowboys 10: Key halftime stats
Joe Burrow is carving up the Cowboys and has the Bengals on top at halftime. Dallas has done little to slow a Bengals passing attack that's been one of the NFL's best all season. That and a Cowboys turnover have been the difference in the game so far:
Joe Burrow: 19 of 26, 207 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 turnovers Cooper Rush: 8 of 15, 104 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception
Chase Brown: 5 carries for 16 yards; 4 catches for 43 yards and 1 touchdown Rico Dowdle: 10 carries for 60 yards
Ja'Marr Chase: 7 catches for 87 yards and 1 touchdown CeeDee Lamb: 4 catches for 71 yards and 1 touchdown
Bengals total offense: 240 yards on 6.9 yards per play Cowboys total offense: 157 yards on 5.8 yards per play
Bengals first downs: 12 Cowboys first downs: 7
Bengals turnovers: 0 Cowboys turnovers: 1
Jason Owens
Another Cowboys 3-and-out ends first half
The Bengals forced another Cowboys 3-and-out in the final minute of the first half and go into halftime with a 17-10 lead.
Jason Owens
Bengals add FG before halftime
The Bengals added a field goal after forcing a late 3-and-out and take a 17-10 lead with seconds before halftime. A 36-yard drive ends in a 37-yard kick by Cade York.
Jason Owens
Cowboys 3-and-out give Bengals another chance before halftime
The Bengals have the ball back with 1:50 remaining after forcing a Cowboys 3-and-out. They start with good field position at the Bengals 45 looking to add to a 14-10 lead.
Jason Owens
Chase Brown scores tight-rope TD, jumps in kettle
Chase Brown scored a touchdown and capped it with a Cowboys troll. The Bengals running back caught a screen pass from Joe Burrow and tight-roped the left sideline 19 yards into the end zone. He then jumped into the Salvation Army kettle behind the end zone, mocking a long-standing Cowboys tradition that's a favorite of Ezekiel Elliott.
Officials initially ruled that Brown stepped out of bounds. But replay confirmed that he did not upon a Bengals challenge. The Bengals take a 14-10 lead with 3:30 remaining in the second quarter.
The Cowboys took over at their own 44 had the offense moving on three Rico Dowdle runs to the Cincinnati 21. But the drive stalled from there, and Dallas settled for a 35-yard Brandon Aubrey field goal to take a 10-7 lead.
Cincinnati will get the ball back with 6:23 remaining in the
Jason Owens
Bengals' 4th-down gamble backfires
The Bengals didn't convert on the Cooper Rush interception. They went for it on fourth-and-3 at the Dallas 44, but Joe Burrow's pass to Chase Brown fell incomplete. The Cowboys take over on downs near midfield with 9:51 left in the second quarter.
Jason Owens
Bengals secure tip-drill interception in the end zone
The Cowboys didn't pay off CeeDee Lamb's 44-yard gain. Instead, Cooper Rush threw an interception in the red zone. Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt couldn't hold on to the ball that hit him in the hands. But he knocked up in the air enough for safety Geno Stone to grab it. Rush's intended target Lamb didn't stand a chance.
The interception thwarts an otherwise likely Cowboys score and keeps the game tied at 7-7 early in the second quarter.
Unreal CeeDee Lamb play gets Cowboys in scoring territory
CeeDee Lamb should've been stopped for a loss on a busted screen pass. Instead, he reversed field and gained 44 yards to the Cincinnati 24-yard line. Backyard football. What a play.
This is the Bengals offense that's scored 30-plus points five times this season. Cincinnati drove 70 yards on its second possession featuring heavy doses of Chase Brown and Ja'Marr Chase. In the end, it was Ja'Marr Chase with a 5-yard touchdown catch from Joe Burrow to tie the game at 7-7. The Bengals converted twice on third down to keep the drive moving.
This is as good of a start as the Cowboys could have drawn up. After forcing a Bengals 3-and-out, the Cowboys marched 60 yards on a balanced drive that ended with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Cooper Rush to a wide open CeeDee Lamb in the end zone.
The Cowboys scored on fourth-and-1 with Mike McCarthy rolling the dice against a porous Bengals defense.
The Cowboys defense was aggressive to start against a dangerous Bengals offense. Trevon Diggs comes up with the pass breakup on a third-and-6 pass to Tee Higgins on a seven-man rush of Joe Burrow. Bengals punt.
Jason Owens
Joe Burrow's been brilliant this season with an NFL-best 30 touchdowns and five interceptions through 12 games. But Cincinnati can thank a porous defense for a 4-8 start. Can the Bengals defense provide enough support tonight against the Cowboys?
Jason Owens
We're moments from kickoff. The Cowboys have won the toss and deferred. The Bengals will receive the opening kick.
Jason Owens
CeeDee Lamb will continue to play tonight with a shoulder injury that's limited him for multiple weeks. He's dressed and ready for tonight's game.
Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs was limited at practice and previously considered questionable for Monday's game, but he's active and will suit up to face the Bengals after missing two games. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who previously said that he expects to play with a nagging shoulder injury, is indeed active.
The @dallascowboys inactives against the Cincinnati Bengals:
#18 Damone Clark (LB) #25 Andrew Booth (CB) #30 Juanyeh Thomas (S) #42 Deuce Vaughn (RB) #83 Jalen Brooks (WR) #91 Tyrus Wheat (DE)
— Dallas Cowboys Public Relations (@DallasCowboysPR) December 9, 2024
Jason Owens
Bengals inactives include left tackle Orlando Brown
Bengals left tackle Orlando Brown will miss a fourth game with a fibula injury. He returned last week from the injury to play the Steelers but was ruled out for Monday after missing practice on Thursday.
