Cincy maximized a Cowboys special teams mistake to escape Dallas with a crucial victory
By Garrett Podell
, Bryan DeArdo
& Jared Dubin
• 1 min read
The Dallas Cowboys appeared to have a shot at getting kicker Brandon Aubrey a game-winning field goal in a 20-20 game, but like much of the 2024 season, their Week 14 game against the Cincinnati Bengals unraveled. Dallas blocked a Bengals punt, but cornerback Amani Oruwariye muffed the football. That allowed Cincinnati to retain possession, and three plays later, it fully cashed in with quarterback Joe Burrow hitting wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase for a go-ahead, 40-yard touchdown with about a minute to play.
The Bengals improved to 5-8 and snapped a three-game losing streak, while the Cowboys fell to 5-8 overall and 1-6 at home. The Bengals found the end zone with smooth catches by Chase and Chase Brown, who scored from 5 and 19 yards out, respectively. Chase dominated with a "Monday Night Football" record 14 catches -- a record he shares with Cooper Kupp (2022), Jerry Rice (1995) and Herman Moore (1995) -- to go along with 177 yards and two touchdowns. Brown, meanwhile, was Burrow's No. 2 receiver with six catches for 65 yards and a touchdown to go along with 58 yards on 14 carries. Burrow finished with 369 yards, three touchdowns and an interception of 33 of 44 passing.
Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb balled out with 93 yards and a touchdown on six catches despite nursing a shoulder injury. He smoked Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton for an 11-yard score, snapping a five-game streak of games without a receiving touchdown. That was the second-longest streak of games without a touchdown in Lamb's five-year career. His touchdown also marked the Cowboys' first at home in the first quarter this season. Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle put together his second game in a row with a career-high in rushing yards with 131 on 18 carries after rushing for 112 yards on 22 carries in the team's Thanksgiving Day win over the New York Giants. Wide receiver Brandin Cooks also caught a touchdown in consecutive weeks with his short score Monday night.
Check out our takeaways from the game below:
Why the Bengals won
Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and one massive, massive break in a big spot. Burrow was pretty close to flawless on the evening. He pretty much missed only one throw, which resulted in an interception after a pass over the middle sailed on him. Otherwise, he was escaping from pressure all night long, and still completed 33 of 44 passes for 369 yards and three touchdowns. Two of his scores went to Chase, who was utterly dominant and picked up the game-winner with just over a minute remaining. As for the massive break, just scroll on down to the "turning point" section and you'll see what we mean.
Why the Cowboys lost
Missed opportunities, and a back-breaking blunder. The Cowboys had a chance to take a lead early in the second quarter, but Cooper Rush forced a pass into traffic and got intercepted. They'd fail on another red-zone drive later in the game, settling for a field goal. They turned Cincinnati's two turnovers (one on downs) into only six points, and with two different chances to take a lead with the game tied in the fourth quarter, they gained just 13 total yards and punted it back to Cincinnati twice. And when it looked like the Cowboys would get one final opportunity, disaster struck...
Turning point
The Cowboys were oh-so-close to having a chance to win the game. They even looked like they were going to have just about as good of field position as possible to do it, too. On the first play following the two-minute warning, Nick Vigil broke through the line and blocked a punt. But then...
This had shades of the Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day loss to the Miami Dolphins back in 1993, when they blocked a Dolphins field goal, only for Leon Lett to try to pick up the ball and run with it and then fumble it back to Miami. That's essentially what backup cornerback Amani Oruwariye did here, in terms of the ramifications on the specific game.
Highlight play
On the ensuing drive after that fumble recovery, Chase went to work. Chase leads the NFL in catches, yards and touchdowns this season, and he added a whole lot to each of those totals Monday night.
He saved his best for last, snagging a speed out with just over a minute remaining, planting his foot in the ground, accelerating past Daron Bland and then out-running the rest of the defense into the end zone for a 40-yard, game-winning score.
Chase finished the evening with yet another monster game, racking up a "Monday Night Football" record 14 catches, on which he totaled 177 yards and two touchdowns. It was his fourth 100-plus-yard, multi-touchdown game of the season. The guy is just outrageous, and he keeps proving it every week.
What's next
Cincinnati's victory stopped its three-game losing streak and gave the Bengals a 5-8 record. They close out the season with games at Tennessee, home against Cleveland and Denver, and then at Pittsburgh. They need to win out and get some help in order to make a run at a playoff berth.
Dallas is also 5-8 after this loss. The Cowboys finish the season with games at Carolina, home against Tampa, at Philadelphia and home against Washington. Like the Bengals, they likely need to win out and get a whole lot of help if they want to make the playoffs.
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Bengals immediately take the lead with a 40-yard TD pass from Burrow to Chase
Ja'Marr Chase broke Cowboys cornerback Da'Ron Bland's ankles, and he then accelerated down the sideline for a 40-yard touchdown. Dallas trails 27-20 with 1:01 remaining and all three timeouts.
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Bengals get the football back despite a blocked punt
Cowboys cornerback Amani Oruwariye attempted to field Dallas' blocked punt, but he muffed the football. Cincy recovered the football, so they get retain possession at their own 43 in 20-20 game with just under two minutes left to play.
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Cowboys hold, get chance to get Brandon Aubrey into game-winning field goal range
Following consecutive holding penalties, Cowboys rookie linebacker Marist Liufau sacked Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Cincy will punt the football back to Dallas with two minutes left to play in a 20-20 game.
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Cowboys punt again
Following a 14-yard run by Rico Dowdle, Cooper Rush threw three consecutive incompletions. Following Dallas punt, the Bengals have the football on their own 14 in 20-20 game with 5:31 left to play.
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Joe Burrow strip-sacked, Bengals forced to punt
After a forced fumble by Trevon Diggs was changed to an incomplete pass, Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson strip-sacked Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on third-and-13. Cincy recovered, and they will punt the ball back to Dallas in a 20-20 game.
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Cowboys go three-and-out
Dallas lost a yard across three plays with a loss of one by Rico Dowdle on the ground followed by consecutive incompletions. The Cowboys punt puts the Bengals at their own 26 with 9:33 left to play in a 20-20 game.
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Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (knee) ruled out
The 2023 third round pick suffered a torn ACL in his second preseason game as a rookie, and he was playing high level ball in his first real NFL season.
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Bengals tie game at 20 with 29-yard field goal
Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland thwarted a third down end zone shot from Joe Burrow to Tee Higgins, which forced Cincy to settle for three. The game is tied at 20 with 10:24 left to play.
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Cowboys ascending linebacker DeMarvion Overshown suffers a leg injury
Overshown remains down grabbing the back of his leg while being attended to by trainers and the team doctor.
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Cowboys regain the lead on a 47-yard field goal by Brandon Aubrey
Rico Dowdle ripped off a 14-yard run on third-and-24 to get Dallas into a much more comfortable field goal range. Aubrey drilled the kick to return the lead to the host Cowboys 20-17. Dowdle now has consecutive 100-yard rushing games for the first time in his career. He has a career-high 118 rushing yards and counting on 16 carries.
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Rico Dowdle had his first career 100-yard rushing game, last week against the Giants. He's got another one today. New career high of 118 yards after having 112 against New York.
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Cowboys safety Malik Hooker intercepts Joe Burrow
Burrow overthrew Ja'Marr Chase over the middle, and Hooker made a tough, diving interception. The play marks Burrow's sixth interception of the season. Dallas takes over on their own 17 in a 17-17 game with 6:50 left in the third quarter.
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With a quarter and a half to go, Chase now leads the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Guy is pretty damn good.
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Brandin Cooks hauls in a three-yard receiving TD to tie the game at 17
After Rico Dowdle's 27-yard run got Dallas down to the six, the Cowboys cashed in on a three-yard touchdown pass from Cooper Rush to Brandin Cooks. Cooks now has a touchdown in both games since he returned from a knee injury. The game is tied at 17 with 10:32 remaining in the third quarter.
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Cowboys center Cooper Beebe is now ruled out with a concussion
Brock Hoffman is now in at center, and T.J. Bass is now in at right guard.
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Cowboys go three and out to end the half
Dallas punts the football away after consecutive incompletions. Cincinnati heads to halftime with a 17-10 lead, and the Cowboys will start the third quarter with the football. The difference in this game is a Cooper Rush red zone interception when he forced a throw to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
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Both teams have gotten rare red zone stops tonight. Cincinnati is 2 of 3 turning red zone trips into touchdowns and Dallas is just 1 of 3 thanks to Geno Stone's interception of Cooper Rush.
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Bengals extend lead with a 37-yard field goal
Kicker Cade York drilled a 37-yard field goal after a clear miscommunication between Joe Burrow and Ja'amArr Chase on third-and-7. Cincinnati leads 17-10 with 30 seconds left in the half. Dallas get the ball to start the third quarter.
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Dallas punts for the first time tonight after going three and out
Cooper Rush couldn't get a throw off on third-and-7 as he got sacked by Joseph Ossai. The Bengals get the football back on their own 45 with 1:50 left to play in the play. They lead 14-10, and the Cowboys get the ball to start the third quarter.
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Cowboys center Cooper Beebe returns to the game after being checked for a head injury
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Chase Brown only had 16 catches for 61 yards through the Bengals' first eight games before Zack Moss got injured. He has 25 catches for 216 yards in the 4.5 games since, after that latest touchdown grab. He's become a key part of Cincinnati's passing attack.
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Bengals running back Chase Brown gets a 19-yard touchdown after review
The officials overturned their original call on the field that Brown stepped out of bounds after Cincinnati challenged the play. The Bengals now have their first lead of the game, 14-10, with 3:30 left in the half.
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Cowboys regain the lead
Dallas' drive fizzled out after running back Ezekiel Elliott gets just a yard on first down, which was followed by a four-yard completion from Cooper Rush to tight end Jake Ferguson and a third down incompletion. Brandon Aubrey is good from 35 yards out, which has Dallas up 10-7 with 6:23 left in the half.
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Second-year breakout
Demarvion Overshown is having a breakout year for the Cowboys. He missed his entire rookie season with a torn ACL but his been fantastic all year. He's second on the team in both tackles and sacks and first in tackles for loss. He's made plays as a pass rusher and in coverage. He's SO fast. Really good player.
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Dallas defense makes a stand
The Cowboys defense picks up its offense with Dallas linebacker DeMarvion Overshown breaking up a fourth-and-three pass to Bengals running back Chase Brown on fourth-and-3. The Cowboys get the football back at their own 44 with the game even at seven with 9:51 left in the second quarter.
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Speaking of career highs in YAC: Ja'Marr Chase is getting over 47% of his yards after the catch this year as well.
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Bengals safety Geno State intercepts Cowboys QB Cooper Rush
Rush forced a pass to CeeDee Lamb that Cincinnati cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt tipped into the air, which led to Bengals safety Geno Stone intercepting the pass. Killer red zone interception. Bengals start their next drive at their own four to begin the second quarter in a seven-seven game.
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Bengals safety Geno State intercepts Cowboys QB Cooper Rush
Rush forced a pass to CeeDee Lamb that Cincinnati cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt tipped into the air, which led to Bengals safety Geno Stone intercepting the pass. Killer red zone interception.
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CeeDee's big screen play is a reminder that he has picked up a career-high 44% of his receiving yards this year, after the catch. Without Dak Prescott for the last several weeks, he's had to do more of he work on his own.
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Cowboys defensive tackle Mazi Smith suffers neck injury
Per an official announcement in the press box, Smith is set to return to play on the next drive.
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